HARDWOOD RECORD 



65 



maintain a hand-to-mouth policy until they are 

 compelled to purchase or until prices go'down. 

 Red and white plain oak in the better grades 

 is in great demand at very Hrm prices. Quar- 

 tered oak is being quoted at about $80 and is in 

 heavy demand. Red gum, since the recent ad- 

 vance, is quoted at the highest price ever 

 reached in Toledo. The demand from furniture 

 factories has strengthened greatly within the 

 past few weeks. Local planing mills are run- 

 ning full time and up ^0 capacity. 



NASHVILLE 



Demand for hardwoods is very good, being 

 above the average for the past two weeks. In 

 fact, Nashville lumbermen claim that the volume 

 of business for August is far in excess of the 

 business transacted during the same month in 

 many years. This is due in a measure to the 

 fact that stocks had been reduced by reason of 

 the long rainy spell in June and July and when 

 the roads began to dry oyt, the lumber in the 

 woods began to move to shipping points. Stocks 

 are still rather low, but few orders have to be 

 returned for lack of stock, as the larger firms 

 always carry good assortments in their yards. 



Ash has been in better demand for the past 

 two weeks. A good demand is also reported 

 for plain oak, while a rather heavy trade is 

 noted on quartered oak. Sound wormy chestnut 

 and poplar are moving readily while hickory 

 is a little quiet. Taken as a whole the lumber 

 market is in good shape and dealers are looking 

 for still bigger business. 



LOUISVILLE 



Business during the past two weeks has been 

 excellent, and hardwood men are entering the 

 fall with more optimistic expressions as to the 

 trade outlook than they have used for a long 

 while. In fact, it is freely stated that business 

 is better than it has been since the panic. The 

 demand for lumber is present, and that shows 

 that there is a solid foundation on which to 

 build. Southern mills have not been producing 

 during the summer, reports from the flooded 

 district indicating that plants which were put 

 out of commission in the spring have not re- 



THREE STATES LUMBER CO. 



Manufacturers oi 



SOUTHERN HARDWOODS 

 Cottonwood and Red Cum 



SPECIALTIES 

 Main Oliice, Memphis, Tenn. 



BLUESTONELAND& 

 LUMBER COMPANY 



MANUFACTURE R S 



West Virginia Hardwoods 



SOFT WHITE PINE 

 OAK POPLAR 

 CHESTNUT HEMLOCK 



BAND SAWED STOCK 



Complete Planing Mill Facilities 



RIDGWAY, PENNSYLVANIA 



sumcTj, for tlfe^ most part. "Thus, if fall trade 

 develops as it is expected to do, the chances 

 favor a shortage of lumber in some cases and a 

 shortage of cars with which to move it, in oth- 

 ers. These are two factors which must be taken 

 into account, and while there are some lumber- 

 men who would prefer to continue doing busi- 

 ness under comfortable conditions at present 

 prices, the facts of the situation seem to justify 

 the prediction that prices are due to rise. 



Quartered oak, which has been regarded as 

 plentiful, is no longer in excessive supply, and 

 some grades are getting scarce. Large handlers 

 of the commodity say that they are getting short 

 on certain items. Plain oak is no more plenti- 

 ful than it has been, and poplar is holding its 

 own as to demand, all grades moving well, but 

 the extremes. No. 3 common and firsts and sec- 

 onds, moving best. Chestnut and ash are selling 

 well, Cottonwood and gum are active and ma- 

 hogany is booming. Trade in all lines is satis- 

 factory. 



for birch, maple and plain and quartered oak. 

 Birch stocks are especially light with first and 

 second stuff holding firm. Basswood is moving 

 well. Building operations are remarkably active. 



BRISTOL 



Bristol lumbermen report that trade has 

 slightly improved this month and indications are 

 that business will continue to grow better dur- 

 ing the fall months. All mills are busy and 

 the lumbermen in this section are going ahead 

 with operations. There is still a slight scarcity 

 of hardwood stocks, and some of the mills are 

 over-sold. Recent shipments have been of a 

 larger volume. 



ST. LOUIS 



As the season advances the demand for hard- 

 wood is becoming better and there is now quite 

 a good call. With the demand increasing, there 

 is naturally a better movement of stock from the 

 local yards and there is also quite a degree of 

 activity being shown in hurrying in shipments 

 from the South, the dealers fearing a serious car 

 shortage. The mills are helping as much as 

 Ihey possibly can and are getting out orders 

 and shipping them as fast as they can. 

 The local prospects for fall business 

 are quite satisfactory and it looks at- the pres- 

 ent time as if there will be an unusually good 

 demand for hardwood lumber, owing to the in- 

 crease in building operations. 



The principal demand now is for plain oak. 

 There is also quite a good call for quartered 

 white and red oak. Red and sap gum, espe- 

 cially the former, are in good request and the 

 same conditions hold good for thick ash, wide 

 poplar and Cottonwood. St. Louis handlers of 

 cypress report a steady call for this item with 

 some nice sized orders being booked. They are 

 looking for plenty of business later on. The 

 sash and door trade is fairly good and the pros- 

 pects quite bright. Special work continues active 

 and estimators are hard at work. Quick delivery 

 is being asked in most cases where orders are 

 placed. 



MILWAUKEE 



Fears of a possible car shortage this fall, as 

 a result of the bumper crops which are being 

 harvested in tlie Northwest, have arous(^d retail- 

 ers to the fact that now is the time to order 

 their lumber stocks. Wholesalers say that de- 

 maud from the yards is growing steadily with 

 the possible car shortage and the favorable fall 

 building prospects as leading factors. 



General business is taking on new life as a 

 result of the crop outlook and this is being re- 

 flected on the lumber trade. There seems to be 

 no doubt but that the regular tall revival has 

 struck the hardwood market. Business is espe- 

 cially brisk in all lower grade stuff, due to the 

 shortage in upper grades. The sash and door 

 factories are buying well and are in the market 



LIVERPOOL 



Business has been rather quiet during the 

 past week, but prices have kept wonderfully 

 firm. This increase in values, however, barely 

 covers the increased cost of freight. The mar- 

 gin of profit on stocks already in stock at Liver- 

 pool has been very poor for some months past. 



The mahogany position is very firm and stocks 

 sold at the last sales have been cleared almost 

 entirely. The advice to buyers on the American 

 side of the .\tlantic is to keep their stocks well 

 in advance of their requirements. A few ship- 

 ments of round ash logs have come forward and 

 have sold well at firm prices. There is prac- 

 tically no stock now at any of the brokers' yards 

 and every shipment is going promptly into con- 

 sumption. 



Round hickory logs are again exceedingly firm 

 .'.nd practically every available log is wanted 

 by consumers here. A few panels have been 

 yarded, but this was done because buyers here 

 "would not face the high prices shippers were 

 demanding. Shippers are wise in taking a firm 

 attitude as the prices in the coming autumn will 

 be exceedingly strong. Birch logs have been 

 imported fairly freely and have sold very well, 

 as also have canary whitewood logs (poplar). 

 The cheaper stocks of lumber have been in much 

 inquiry and some large orders for sap gum 

 stocks, especially for wide widths, are being 

 placed before brokers. Holders of stocks on 

 your side in %" and 1" should be able to obtain 

 good orders just at the present time at fairly 

 remunerative prices. In fact, there is quite a 

 strong advance in all the cheaper kinds of hard- 

 woods, caused by the necessity of finding cheaper 

 woods owing to the advances in lumber values. 



OLASaOW 



Conditions in this market have been improving 

 very slowly since the holidays. Prices have been 

 firm until now when oak boards and planks are 

 easing. Two steamers have arrived within three 

 days of one another from Baltimore and New- 

 port News, each containing the usual large as- 

 sortment of American hardwoods, particularly 

 oak boards and planks, a large part of which 

 are on consignment. It has been pointed out 

 before that if consignments were in moderate 

 compass, the market would respond to the in- 

 creased prices being asked. However, consign- 

 ments have been made indiscriminately, much to 

 the detriment of both shippers and brokers. 

 Buyers are being pressed to go to the quay to 

 examine the oak, and being fully aware of the 

 easing of prices are taking full advantage of 

 the fact. Quite a number of inquiries are in the 

 market for prime quartered oak boards but buy- 

 ers seem to be disinclined to place orders owing 

 to the high prices being demanded by shippers. 

 The high rate of freight is causing much diffl- 

 culty. and there is no doubt that the freight 

 question is affecting the whole market and caus- 

 ing prices to fluctuate considerably. 



There is a good demand for genuine black wal- 

 nut, but the logs which have arrived here from 

 the States recently are of rather poor quality 

 and of small dimensions. Buyers, of course, do 

 not want such stock, preferring the larger sized 

 logs for practical purposes. 



Honduras mahogany is being inquired for but 

 the prices asked are too high and as a result 

 buyers are compelled to turn to lower grade 

 wood such as African and Gaboon. 



The demand for Louisiana red cypress is good 

 and buyers are finding it very difficult to get 

 shipments forward. Prices on this commodity 

 are advancing. 



