46 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



manufacturing trade still buying from hand to 

 mouth. This condition in Itself is bound to 

 create a fair amount of immediate demand tor 

 the balance of the year. 



BUFFALO 



There is a greater amount of activity in the 

 hardwood trade this month than last, according 

 to a general report of dealers, and a satisfac- 

 tory amount of lumber is moving. It includes 

 almost all sorts of hardwoods in a pretty liberal 

 quantity. Yards are beginning to add to their 

 stoclfs liberally in order to be prepared for the 

 trade of late fall and winter, and a large amount 

 of actiyity is displayed in getting lumber in 

 shape for business during the balance of the 

 year. Politics plays no perceptible part in re- 

 ducing the amount of inquiry for lumber. 



The sale of chestnut and ash is larger than for 

 some time. Both woods hold firm in price, as do 

 most other varieties, and the tone of the mar- 

 ket is strong. Plain oalr is, as usual, in com- 

 paratively large request and continues to hold 

 the lead in sales, while quartered is not active 

 and has not been so for some time. Birch and 

 maple are strong and additions are being made 

 to the supplies at a number of yards. Poplar 

 is a shade stronger than it w-as. 



PHILADELPHIA 



Compared with the u.sual supine trading of 

 the presidential year, trading in lumber at this 

 time may be said to Ix' aggressive. In hard- 

 woods it has been especially active during the 

 last fortnight, and a record month in point of 

 sales for this time of the year is predicted. The 

 only serious complaint is the car shortage. Buy- 

 ers returning from the southern lumber camps 

 testify to a growing pile in many yards, but the 

 stuff is sold ahead and only waiting for avail- 

 able cars to move. The lumber situation is a 

 lieculiar one at this time, but obviously an en- 

 couraging one, as the demand is strong and the 

 man has only to have the stock on hand with a 

 surety of prompt delivery to get the order. Rail- 

 road buying continues active, and the wholesale 

 consuming industries show more lite as the fall 

 season advances. P.ox makers are busy and 

 scurrying around for low-grade hardwood. Red 

 and white oak still leads the market. Quartered 

 oak is very scarce and prices climbing. Ash is 

 in good demand. Cliestnut is growing stronger, 

 and sound wormy stock is more in demand. No 

 change is noticeable in poplar ; low-grade, how- 

 • ver, shows activity. There is a strong call for 

 liccch and birch, while cypress remains steady. 

 The veneer situation is much improved. 



PITTSBUROH 



Things are moving along very satisfactory 

 in the hardwood business here. Yards are great- 

 ly increasing their stock. Purchasing agents. 

 l)efore placing more orders, are inclined to wait 

 until they can get in what tliey ordered several 

 months ago. This is not an easy proposition. 

 <'ars are short and lumber is scarce. Millmeu 

 have the situation practically in their own 

 hands. Wholesalers are doing their best to 

 hurry forward shipments but the wet summer 

 and the scarcity of labor and teams at the 

 country hardwood mills are big drawbacks. 

 White oak is the best seller in the market. 

 There is also a tine demand for furniture and 

 vehicle manufactm-ing hardwoods. 



BALTIMORE 



There have liecn no developments in the hard- 

 wood trade of the last two weeks which would 

 warrant any modification of the favorable re- 

 ports made concerning the state of business. The 

 demand for stocks of all kinds is still very 



active : in fact, the movement seems to be on the 

 increase, while the range of prices is either firm 

 or perhaps a shade higher. Here and there ad- 

 vances have been noted and it cannot be said 

 that any decline has taken place, if the Liver- 

 pool situation with regard to oak planks Is ex- 

 cepted. Owing to the heavy smpments to that 

 port there appears to be some unsettlement, but 

 the foreign trade in general and with regard 

 to all other stocks is stated to be satisfactory. 

 The chief trouble about the foreign trade, of 

 course, is the rapid advances in ocean freight 

 rates. The rate to Rotterdam, for instance, has 

 advanced from IS to 30 cents during the present 

 year, and the ideas of the foreign buyers will 

 have to move up accordingly. Naturally, the 

 buyers are reluctant about doing this and some 

 holding back is the result. The trade, however, 

 appears to hold out nothing of a disquieting 

 nature, and a large movement is in progress in 

 spite of the retarding factors. One reason for 

 this is the steady expansion in the domestic 

 business. Most of the firms here report that 

 they are doing a larger business than ever before 

 and the outlook is sufliciently encouraging to 

 add to the capacity of plants and to erect new 

 mills. Everything seems to favor an augmented 

 production. Poplar, chestnut and. other woods 

 are holding their own or are stronger. Chestnut 

 is being called for in sufiicient volume to keep 

 down stocks at the mills, many of which have 

 hardly an adequate selection. Even sound wormy 

 is well distributed, while the other grades never 

 were offered in quantities to suggest congestion. 

 Good dry oak is eagerly sought. There is an ex- 

 cellent demand for cypress, with the offerings not 

 at all free, and with some stocks so scarce as to 

 indicate a positive famine. The car sliortage is 

 lieing felt in some directions, especially along the 

 Chesapeake & Ohio railroad, where millmen are 

 ohliL'cil to wait for weeks to get otT shipments. 



COLUMBUS 



Trade in all hardwoods in Columbus and cen- 

 tral Ohio has Iwen active during the past fort- 

 night. There has been a good demand for all 

 varieties and with dry stocks ruling scarcer, quo- 

 tations have been strong in every particular. 

 There is no tendency to reduce quotations in the 

 least, but every cliango has been toward higher 

 levels. Lumbermen predict still higher prices in 

 the very near future. 



The worse feature of the trade is the lack of 

 cars, which is causing serious trouble among ship- 

 pers. Prompt deliveries are now almost impos- 

 sible and transit stocks are in good demand. 

 Whenever a manufacturer or jobber can gtiarantee 

 prompt delivery he can get almost any price 

 within reason for his stocks. 



Another feature of the trade is the good de- 

 mand for the lower grades, especially in oak 

 and chestnut. In fact, all grades are moving 

 well and tliere is no accumulation of stocks 

 in any place. Dry stocks are generally short and 

 mills are working to manufacture more. Col- 

 lections are better. Both plain and quartered 

 oak is in good demand and prices arc strong. 

 Poplar is stronger and there is a good sale for 

 the wide sizes. Ash is better and the volume of 

 business is larger. Chestnut is one of the strong 

 points in the market and sound wormy is moving 

 well. Basswood Is active and other hardwoods 

 are unchanged. 



INDIANAPOLIS 



The car shortage has become a little more 

 pronounced in this locality in the last two 

 weeks, although it lias not yet assumed alarm- 

 ing proportions. It has a tendency, however, 

 tt) induce dealers to place orders a little more 

 freely and to keep prices of all grades of 

 hardwoods stiff. 



There has been a good demand for the 

 different grades of hardwoods in the last fort- 



night, particularly for the various gra^ee of 

 oak. Manufacturing plants using hardwoods 

 are running at normal capacity and ther* 

 appears to be no reason to anticipate any 

 inactivity in trade in the near future. 



NASHVILLE 



Conditions in the hardwood market at Nash 

 vllle continue strong. There is an actlre de 

 mand for hardwoods. Some dealers find It diffi 

 cult to secure supplies of popular woods. Plain 

 oak is the leading seller, the stocks not being 

 large enough to supply the demand. There i8 a 

 scarcity of ash also. Poplar is quiet, thoDgh 

 some of the manufacturers report that there is 

 decided improvement in this line. The demand 

 for low grades for manufacturing boxes Is unu- 

 sually brisk. Box manufacturers are having 

 some difiiculty in securing adequate supplies of 

 the cheap grades. 



BRISTOL 



Hardwood lumbermen of Bristol and this sec- 

 tion report that business is in a better condi- 

 tion and that there is more life to the hardwood 

 market than for some time. There is a decided 

 scarcity of stocks, and in many cases the mills 

 have oversold. The demand for stocks Is brisk 

 and it is believed that the next few weeks will 

 see a more upward tendency to prices. Lumber- 

 men here are very much encouraged by the state 

 of trade and the outlook for business. The 

 scarcity of stock is chiefly on the higher grades 

 of hardwoods. Planing mills and wood-working 

 plants of this section are in some cases running 

 overtime. 



LOUISVILLE 



Business is well up to the standard, accord- 

 ing to the general opinion among hardwood 

 manufacturers and dealers. Trade is all that 

 could be asked for, considering the condition of 

 stocks and the political situation, although this 

 is having little or no effect, consuming manufac- 

 turers believing that results of the election will 

 not bo felt for several months after November, 

 if then. The demand is splendid, coming from 

 all lines and embracing practically everything on 

 the stock list. While stocks are in fair shape 

 tlie.v are not as large as they were a year ago. 

 In some respects this is a good thing, meaning 

 that surplus holdings have been disposed of. 

 For instance, quartered oak is probably in smaller 

 supply than the present demand justifies, while 

 twelve months ago it was top heavy. Plain oak. 

 hickor.v and other items, which have been the 

 subjects of heavy demand during the summer 

 and fall, are badly broken and wholesalers are 

 having some difficulty, on account of the lack 

 of cars at mill points, in getting stocks to replace 

 those which have been moved to consumers. The 

 demand for quartered oak is exceptionally good 

 and is likely to continue strong. Poplar Is sell- 

 ing well in lower grades, thin poplar moving 

 well, while good thick stock is rather slow. Cot- 

 tonwood and gum are selling briskly and chestnut 

 is in good demand from the panel-makers. Prices 

 generally are strong, and the logic of the situa- 

 tion suggests a gradual but steady advance dur- 

 ing the next few months, as the demand reaches 

 its height and the narrow limits of the supply 

 become evident. 



ST. LOUIS 



3 



The hardwood dealers here report quite a 

 satisfactory trade. Not only is business excel- 

 lent, but prices obtained are high. The only 

 cause for complaint is the shortage of cars. The 

 demand for plain oak at the present time is 

 good. The call for red and white quartered oak 



