C'oiiilitioiis iu Wiscoiisiu during the past t'tvv vvwks liave continued 

 ti) look more and more favorable. Crop conditions are exeellout and 

 ;ui exceptionally large crop of hay has been harvested. The country 

 never looked better, and farmers are busy from early morn until dusk. 

 The hnnbermen are feeling much better, and if the hnprovenicnt con- 

 tinues the fall business will take care of itself. 



Millmen claim that orders are now commencing to come in for 

 lumber sold on contract, though not so brisk as they wonld like. The 

 wholesale trade feels better, and I had the pleasure of looking over 

 several very fine orders in harihvooils. The veneer and panel trades, 

 :is well as the furniture trade, are still waiting for the reports from 

 tiic sales at Gran<l Rapids, Mich. 



One point noticed in particular was the optimistic feeling held by 

 everyone for a fair fall bus'iness and a splendid winding-up of the 

 year, which will bring the average business done in 1914 very little 

 less than that done in 1913. 



I spent the Fourth at Ashland, Wis., and meeting some of my old 

 friends in the lumber business, namely, Messrs. Wilson, Joyce, Latimer 

 and Ralph Gilchrist, my thoughts went back to the early days when 

 the extreme northern ])art of Wisconsin was the big lumber center. 

 At Ashland the John Schroeder Lumber (Jompany alone is operating. 

 At Washburn the mills of the M. H. Sprague Lundier Company and 

 the J. S. Stearns Lumber Company are sawing. The Wachsmuth 

 Ijumber Company is operating at Bayfield, Wis. These four mills are 

 practically all that remain in the old territory north of Odauah and 

 Mellen. If some of the conservation advocates had seen this country 

 twenty years ago and viewed it today, they conld easily figure out the 

 outcome twenty years hence. 



1 visited the mill of the S<-ott & Howe Lumhcr Comiiany at Iron- 

 wood, Mich. This is a band and horizontal resaw mill with a planing 

 mill in connection. The average cut is about 18,000,(101) feet an- 

 nually, sixty per cent of which is hardwood. Mr. Zinn reports that 

 he has no reason to complain, as his company is getting its share of 

 orders. 



a live crowd. You scarcely ever hear them complain of business 

 conditions. WliiMi tilings don't .-ome right they hustle ami make them 

 move: ncccss.-n iiy \\licn tlic umiket is active they get their share of 

 orders. 



Danielson & Pierce handle about 10,000,000 feet of hardwood ]um- 

 i)er annually, the cut of three northern mills. In answer to my in- 

 Huiry regarding business, Mr. Pierce produced orders for seventy-five 



Tlie Brown Hroflii'is Lmnbcr Company ojjerates a band and hori- 

 ;aintal resaw mill. It cuts aliout 1.5,000,000 feet annually, forty per 

 cent of which is hardwood. My old friend ' ' Charlie ' ' Lovett, sales 

 manager of this firm, modestly .said to me, "Business is off, but we 

 have no dry stock on hand." Simultaneously he produced a bunch of 

 orders showing about 200 cars. Those who know Mr. Lovett well know 

 that he always gets a little more than his share of business, whether 

 times are good or otherwise. 



During the evening I en.ioyed a ri.le in Mr. Luvett 's automobile, 

 a "Moon." 



The Mason-Donaldson Lumber Conijiauy will handle about 40,000,- 

 000 feet of hardwood this year. Mr. Donaldson reports business as 

 fair and feels encouraged over the outlook for a good fall business. 



The Robbijis Lumber Company will shut down its mill until fall. 

 This company cuts about 13,000,000 feet of lumber, 5,000,0(1(1 of whidi 

 will be hardwood. 



The Tomahawk Veneer and Box Company is one of the recent adili- 

 tions at Tomahawk. This firm was incorporated in November, 191."!, 

 with a capital stock of $.50,000. Max Meyer, the manager, had been 

 associated with the Underwood Veneer Company of Wausau for over 

 sixteen years before going with and building the Merrill Veneer Com- 

 pany 's plant at Merrill. Reinhard Meyer, the president, had for years 

 been identified with R. Me.yer Box and Veneer Company at Merrill. 

 George J. Sladek. secretarv, had been associated with the K. .Afever 



concern tor over three years. This company is turning: out an excel- 

 lent product, consisting of drawer bottom stock, center stock, pin 

 blocks and heading. 



The Oelhafen Lundjer Company has a circular null and will cut 

 about 9,0(Kl,000 feet of lumber this year, twenty-five per cent of wdiich 

 will be harilwood. This company has some very choice pine, hem- 

 lock and tamarack in pile for which it would like to receive orders. 

 At Wausau I had a pleasant visit with R. S. Kellogg, secretary of 

 the Northern Hemlock ami Hardwood Manufacturers' Association. 

 He reports a flattering condition of business and speaks encouragingly 

 for a fair fall trade. He was leaving Wausau to make a short trip to 

 northern mills, incidentally visiting Duluth, where he attended the con- 

 vention of the National Association of Building Ovv'ners and Man- 

 agers, at which he was slated to read a paper on birch. 



The Barker & Stewart Lumljer Company, after a successful opeia- 

 tion since I8K4, will close ilown its mill on September 1. The mill, 

 which has been cutting about 100,000 feet of hemlock or 05,000 feet 

 of hardwood daily, is now for sale. 



The Wheeler-Timlin Lumber Company manufactures and whole- 

 sales hardwood exclusively. Mr. Timlin states that he has no cause 

 to complain of conditions. He anticipates an improvement in the fall, 

 though no big business. He feels confiilent that the wind-up of the 

 year will show not more than from ten to fifteen per cent falling off 

 in his business. He is looking for some orders for 5/4 basswood, 

 which he states is in excellent shipi)ing con<lition. 



The Gill-Dawley Lumber Companj- handles about 1.5,000,000 feet of 

 hardwood annually. Mr. Dandey reports that business has ])icked np 

 during the last two weeks. He iloes not look for a large fall trade. 



The F. H. Schneider Lumber Companj- iloes a wholesale lumber bu.si- 

 ness and handles forest ])roducts. Mr. Schneider, who has strong 

 coast connections, reports coast shingles, fir and siding as being very 

 active. 



The Buswell Lumber and Manufacturing Company is winding up its 

 affairs and expects to be finished by November 1. Mr. Buswell, after 

 thirty years of lumbering, will take his family to California, where 

 tliey will spend next winter. 



At Schofield, Wis., the Brooks & Ross Lumber Company operates 

 a single band and resaw mill, also a planiug mill. This cuts about 

 .32,000,000 feet of lumber annually, of which thirty per cent is hard- 

 wood, forty i>er cent hemlock and thirty per cent .softwoods. The 

 company has about a thirty-year cut ahead of it. At the present time 

 it has on hand about .5,000,000 feet of hardwood, 7,000,000 of hem- 

 lock and 3,000,000 of pine. Mr. McCullough states that he met the 

 market price for the first time in the history of his business and as a 

 result has more orders than he can handle and has therefore called in 

 his salesmen. 



At New London, Wis., the llatten Lumber Company operates a 

 single band and resaw mill and cuts about 20,000,000 feet of lumber 

 annually, fifty per cent of which is hardwoo<l and the remainder pine 

 and hemlock. This company has about a twenty-year cut ahead. Mr. 

 Lindsay claims that business is far from being good but could lie much 

 worse. He states that the outlook for fall is not at all bad. 



I had an unexpected pleasant suiijrise in meeting C. W. Talge of 

 the Evansville Veneer Company, Evansville, Ind., at the Wisconsin 

 Seating Companj' "s plant. Mr. Talge and family are spending the 

 summer at Autigo. 



The Wisconsin Seating Compauy has an exceptionally large plant 

 at New London. It operates a sawmill for its own logs, and manu- 

 factures veneer for chair and furniture manufacturers, chair seats, 

 backs, table tops, auto dashes and lumber centers, and door panels 

 of all kinds. 



At Oconto, Wis., the Holt Lumber Compauv- operates a two-band 

 gang and slab resaw mill, and cuts from 30,000,000 to 3.5,000,000 feet 

 annually, 5,000,000 of which is hardwood. Mr. Holt reports trade 

 quiet though his business was fair, due to cut prices. 



At Menominee, Mich., I saw a fine catch of northern pike forty 

 inches in length. The fortunate fishers were A. C. Wells of the J. W. 



