52 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



While plain oak has been soaring, quartered 

 oak has been resting. The strength of the 

 former is quite marked, while the latter shows 

 little or no improvement. Birch is moving 

 comparatively well, and maple continues to get 

 its share of the orders. Lower grades in hard- 

 woods hold their strength and there seems to be 

 a general demand for them. 



PHILADELPHIA 



With the exception of easier shipments dur- 

 ing the fortnight, there has been no salient 

 change in the hardwood situation. Stocks of 

 standard woods at mill ends are still scarce, 

 and, owing to the continued wet season, it will 

 be some time before sufficiently seasoned mate- 

 rial is available to meet the demand. The fur- 

 niture and other wholesale consuming indus- 

 tries show more life, and prospects are fair 

 for a continued activity. Box makers keep busy, 

 and the markets in both hard and soft wood 

 have been scoured for material. The demand 

 for oak is increasing. Chestnut is holding its 

 own. Beech and birch are running easy. Cy- 

 press keeps a good reputation. Poplar is im- 

 proving and ash is running smoothly. 



PITTSBURGH 



There is a steady improvement in the local 

 hardwood trade. Low-grade hardwood, which 

 has been a very slow seller for more than two 

 years is now in splendid demand. Yard mills 

 are busy, but are under a heavy handicap 

 owing to the impassable roads and bad logging 

 conditions. Kailroads are putting in a new lot 

 of requisilions, and warehouse construction is 

 taking considerable oak. 



BOSTON 



The improvement reported in the demand for 

 hardwood lumber a few weeks ago has been 

 maintained, and a steady increase in business is 

 now looked for. 



Stocks of hardwood lumber have been allowed 

 to get low during the winter months. Hence, 

 practically all buyers are again looking the mar- 

 ket over and taking liberal sized lots in many 

 instances. Considerable firmness prevails in the 

 market. Manufacturers are In better position to 

 demand firmer prices, and in some (*ases slight 

 advances are demanded. Maple is selling freely, 

 but prices have a wider range than usual. Cy- 

 press is in larger call. T'lain oak is in better 

 request and prices are held more firmly. The 

 demand for quartered oak, while larger, cannot 

 as yet be called active. 



BALTIMORE 



While there is an ab^' uc' of important 

 changes in the lumber trade situation, the de- 

 mand for stocks is moderate and the movement 

 would he larger if weather conditions were 

 favorable for drying. Some of the plants have 

 fairly big stocks on hand, but none of the lum- 

 ber is sufficiently dry to sliip, and the calls for 

 supplies cannot be taken care of. A Baltimore 

 hardwood company, for instance, has nearly 

 two million feet at one of its mills, and yet is 

 unable to fill orders, as none of the lumber Is 

 in condition for the market. Many other pro- 

 ducers are in the same position. Prices under 

 these circumstances are not as high as would 

 be looked for. Good dry oak is one of the 

 scarcest articles on the market, and the quota- 

 tions are very firm, the tendency also being up- 

 ward, though the range of values is not as high 

 as might be expected. Ash and other woods are 

 either holding their own or show a stiffer 

 tone, the one exception l>eing extra wide poplar 

 of high grade, which keeps rather low. The in- 

 terference with operations at mills by the bad 



weather does not appear to have brought any 

 decided change for the better in this division 

 of the trade, while the lower grades are moving 

 in suthcient volume to take care of the output, 

 the assortments in the yards being relatively 

 small. Chestnut is practically free from pres- 

 sure, the mills being able to dispose of their 

 holdings with comparative freedom and at prices 

 which, while they do not represent a considera- 

 ble advance, give encouragement to the producer. 

 Taken as a whole, hardwood values are satis- 

 factory, and the members of the trade with suit- 

 able stocks are in a position to make money. A 

 measure of quiet prevails in the export busi- 

 ness for the reason that the effect of the 

 British strike has not been entirely dissipated, 

 but it will not be long before steamers will be 

 able to move with their old regularity, and 

 the forwardings will assume increased propor- 

 tions. Prices are satisfactory and even at- 

 tractive, the quotations on oak planks being at 

 the high level noted some time ago. 



COLUMBUS 



The better weather which has succeeded an 

 unusually rigorous winter, has resulted in a 

 good demand for all grades and varieties of 

 hardwoods. Prices are ruling firm in every 

 variety and grade, and every change in quota- 

 tions has been towards higher levels. Manu- 

 facturing establishments, especially the furni- 

 ture, vehicle and box factories are in the 

 market for stocks and automobile factories are 

 also buying better. Stocks in the hands of re- 

 tailers arc not large, and they are already in 

 the market for a replenishment of stocks. Dry 

 stocks in the hands of manufacturers and job- 

 bers are short and this means that prices will 

 be advanced. Hardwood flooring is selling well 

 and prices are firm. 



The lower grades of hardwoods lead in de- 

 mand, and prices are stronger in those grades. 

 There is also a good demand for the Ix'lter 

 grades. Oak is in good demand and chestnut 

 is selling well. Poplar stocks are moving well. 



TOLEDO 



There are differences pf opinion as to the 

 local situation, indicating that trade is a trifle 

 spotted and that deviations are being made 

 from list prices. Local yards are well stocked. 

 Owing to the severity of the weather the call 

 has been rather light, and local concerns are 

 just beginning to move their stocks. Indlea- 

 tious for summer business are good, and there 

 is a general feeling of optimism among Toledo 

 hardwood men. 



CINCINNATI 



Conditions in rhe *.'inoinnati hardwood 

 market show considerable improvement. With 

 the return of more favorable weather a good 

 demand has developed. Yard work has natur 

 ally been held back by frequent rains, and ship- 

 ments, which have been made, have been delayed 

 in transit by the congested condition of lines 

 north of the Ohio river. 



Plain oak holds the center of the stage, thick 

 plain white oak beiug very scarce. Plain red 

 oak is more plentiful as a rule, although certain 

 items are short. Prices on plain red oak are 

 lower than quotations on white oak. which 

 have advanced. Quartered oak of good figure 

 is in demand. Chestnut is active for the toj) 

 grades, with prices strong. Sound wormy 

 chestnut of good widths, practically free from 

 defects other than worm holes is in demand, at 

 top prices. There is plenty of low-grade, sound 

 wormy to be had, but prices are low. Poplar 

 is meeting with a fair volume of trade in the 

 manufacturers' grades. Wide poplar is slow, 

 with but slight inquiry. Red gum is in fair 



demand for ones and twos. There ari^ many 

 inquiries for saps and common, which are scarce 

 in good dry stock. Birch is in fair request for 

 both red and white. The outlook for mahog- 

 any is rosy, Cuban, Honduras, African and 

 Mexican being in good demand. American wal- 

 nut, oak boards, thick white ash. red gum and 

 hickory are in fair movement to the foreign 

 trade. Cypress continues to grow stronger, and 

 the spring trade promises to be excellent. Prices 

 are firm with a slight advance in some grades. 



INDIANAPOLIS 



The hardwood market has shown a satis- 

 factory improvement during the fortnight. Busi- 

 ness is much better than it has been at any 

 previous time this year, and the outlook for the 

 immediate future is considered bright. 



Prices are steady, and an advance is antici- 

 pated within the next few weeks in lines that 

 an- strongest in demand. Shipments are mov- 

 ing; promptly, and there is no complaint of car 

 shortage in this vicinity. There is an active 

 trade in hardwoods for interior finish, partic- 

 ularly in all grades of oak and mahogany. Poplar 

 is also active, on account of the great amount 

 of building operations which have been started 

 since Apr. 1. 



r 



MEMPHIS 



The liardwood situation at Memphis is one of 

 increasing strength and every indication points 

 to still higher prices for lumber. There is al- 

 ready an acute scarcity of dry stock in a num- 

 ber of directions, and. with the almost complete 

 stoppage of production over a large area, the 

 outlook is anything but reassuring. The sup- 

 ply of timber available is not large, and some 

 niembcM-s of the trade say that it will be well 

 along into the summer before anything like a 

 normal supply of hardwood lumber in shipping 

 dry stock can be looked for. I'rices are mcas- 

 lu-ably firmer all along the line as a result of 

 the flood conditions ajid the unfavorable weather 

 which have prevailed for a number of weeks. 

 There Is a good demand for every kind of hard- 

 wood lumber offered, though perhaps the strong- 

 est features are the lowt-r grades of cottonwood 

 and gum, red gum in firsts and seconds, and 

 plain oak in all grades. There has been a per- 

 ceptible increase In the demand for quartered 

 oak, and prices are measurably higher than they 

 were a short time ago. 



NASHVILLE 



Tliere has been a marked impruveuient in the 

 Nashville hardwood market. Manufacturers 

 liave been enjoying a brisk demand for hard- 

 woods. Quartered oak. which was dull for so 

 long, is showing an improvement and plain oak 

 and poplar led in the demand. Ash, chestnut 

 and cottonwood are active. Cypress and hickory 

 are sharing in the bettered conditions. There 

 were very heavy receipts of hardwoods during 

 the past ten days from the upper (Cumberland 

 river and tributaries, the totals running up to 

 about three or four million feet. The floods 

 in the Mississippi river se<'tions did so much 

 d;iniage and so impeded shipments that numer- 

 ous buyers, who might otherwise have gone to 

 other markets, came to Nashville seeking to sup- 

 ply their needs and this added to the volume of 

 local orders. The local plants which suspended 

 operations pending a subsiding of the floods, 

 have resumed work and are endeavoring to 

 catch up with orders. The outlook for both 

 the wholesale and retail trade is good. Pre- 

 vailing prices remain steady, with indications 

 of increases in ruling figures. The logging men 

 are showing additional activity. The consuming 

 factories and railroads are making good demands 

 for material. 



