36 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



finishing works keep up a hum, and rail and 

 trolley building promise steady consumption 

 of material during the summer months. Build- 

 ing will be extensive, now that the strike 

 among the bricklayers, stonemasons and gran- 

 ite cutters has been called off. The veneer 

 and cigar box men work day and night, and 

 the box factories keep fairly busy. The rail- 

 road service is reported but slightly better; 

 whatever improvement there is has been spas- 

 modic, and not to be relied upon for any 

 length of time. 



Among the hardwoods, ash, poplar, chestnut 

 and basswood lead, but are scarce. Oak is 

 more plentiful and values hold steady. Gum 

 keeps firm. Quartered white oak holds its 

 own, cherry is moving fairly well and maple, 

 both lumber and flooring, receives a good call. 

 Dry stocks of all hardwoods are scarce, and 

 there is no prospect of impro\'ement in this 

 direction for some time to come. Veneer and 

 cigar box lumber values are high and very 

 scarce. 



Baltimore. 



Such changes as have taken place in the 

 hardwood situation here are of no moment. 

 With the exception of the common grades of 

 oak, which, according to the statements of 

 some dealers and manufacturers, have eased 

 off slightly, the whole range of prices is firm, 

 and the demand promises to remain sufficient- 

 ly active all the summer to keep the price 

 list strong. Stocks are in brisk demand. Ap- 

 parently the requirements of the trade are 

 as large as ever. If some of the big corpo- 

 rations ha\'e deferred, for a time, improve- 

 ments that would have called for the use of 

 great quantities of lumber such improvements 

 cannot be long postponed for the reason that 

 the facilities to be supplied are urgently 

 needed. This holds good especially of the 

 railroads, which show a disposition to hold 

 tack improvements, but their equipment is 

 undeniably far behind the demands of traflic 

 and some provision must be made before 

 long. 



The export business is sufficiently brisk to 

 call for liberal shipments, and the movement 

 is large enough to hold out the prospect of 

 a complete acceptance of the conditions 

 which American shippers insist upon espe- 

 cially with regard to inspection and measure- 

 ment. Stocks abroad are low enough to en- 

 courage purchases and no inifavorable factors 

 have developed. Oak, ash and walnut are in 

 good request on the other side and the for- 

 wardings are large accordingly, while poplar 

 also retains its activity, though the returns 

 are said by some shippers to be lower on 

 this wood relatively than are realized in the 

 domestic market. The destruction of the new 

 B. & O. pier here will be felt as a serious 

 inconvenience by the exporters, especially 

 as months must elapse before the work of 

 rebuilding is well under way. The availa- 

 bility of the improvement which was badly 

 needed, has been deferred by the collapse for 

 perhaps a year. Stocks in the hands of local 

 dealers are relatively low at the present time 

 and all the hardwoods are in good shape. 



Pittsburg. 



There has been little change in the hard- 

 wood situation in Pittsburg since May 1. 

 Hardwood wholesalers say that It is hard to 

 get dry stock fast enough to meet demands. 



The building situation in greater Pittsburg 

 is the most unhappy feature of the market at 

 present. In spite of the fact that there are 

 no strikes of consequence on hand, building 

 lags and the local yards are accordingly buy- 

 ing very little lumber. This affects the hard- 

 wood men less than wholesalers of hemlock 

 and the pines, but they are beginning to feel 

 it a little. Their trade is held up very well 

 thus far by the inquiries from manufacturers 



in the eastern and central states and also by 

 the increased demand of late from the rail- 

 roads and big industrial concerns. These 

 latter are beginning to place orders that were 

 held up indefinitely early in the spring when 

 the railroad investigations were at their 

 height. It is quite possible now that this 

 business will come forward right along and 

 help very materially to relieve the usual 

 summer dullness. 



Oak is by far the best seller. The rapidity 

 with which good oak lumber is being 

 snatched up is shown by the fact that most 

 of the hardwood wholesalers are sending out 

 their buyers to pick up choice tracts of oak 

 timber whenever they can find them. Many 

 such purchases have been made lately and at 

 a uniform advance over prices that were 

 paid six or eight months ago. A few firms 

 are buying very extensively in the Southwest 

 and have worked up a splendid market in 

 Cottonwood and southern oak for export 

 trade. A large amount of this lumber is also 

 being shipped up the Mississippi for delivery 

 in the big manufacturing centers of the 

 middle west. 



Chestnut is another wood that has a very 

 strong hold on local buyers at present. Pi'ices 

 range little higher than a month ago and the 

 stocks are being picked over so carefully that 

 even mill culls are in good demand. The 

 minor hardwoods are selling well all through 

 Ohio. Indiana and Michigan, as well as in 

 the seaboard cities of the Atlantic Coast 

 where Pittsburg firms have a very strong 

 footing in the wholesale market. 



Buffalo. 



If there is any cliange in the hardwood 

 lumber situation here it is in the line of bet- 

 ter business, but as that was good enough 

 all along there is not much need of close cal- 

 culation along that line. There is not quite 

 as much complaint of stock shortage as there 

 was. though poplar is not coming in any 

 faster than it is going out and there seems to 

 be no hope of a full assortment again of 

 either chestnut or ash. Dealers are getting 

 fugitive lots of all these woods, but nobody 

 is able to furnish a wood that will meet all 

 demands. 



It looks now as though the three scarce 

 woods would before long take the position 

 in the trade that sycamore has already taken. 

 It is so hard to get that the consumer does 

 not ask for it to any extent and when a 

 dealer gets a lot of it he finds that it sells 

 very slowly. Poplar, chestnut and ash are 

 quite easily grown, however, and when this 

 country wakes up to the necessity of culti- 

 vating timber they will return to general use. 

 There is plenty of plain-sawed oak at pres- 

 ent, some of the yards receiving liberal 

 amounts of it and all finding that an assort- 

 ment is quite possible. Some dealers report 

 that birch is a trifle dull of late, .though it is 

 pretty generally doing well. It has been a 

 great help to the oak situation. 



Maple is coming forward as a much-needed 

 wood, especially as it can be so easily used 

 in place of ash. With maple, Washington 

 fir and yellow pine to substitute for ash the 

 gap is pretty well filled as a rule. 



Dealers find that there is more call for 

 basswood and elm and are looking for it with 

 some success, but they are not pushing gum 

 or Cottonwood in this market. If they have 

 any at their southwestern mills they find 

 a better market for them there than to ship 

 them here. 



Sagiuaw Valley. 



greatly facilitate the movement of lumber 

 products. The market is' in good form. 

 There isn't much dry lumber available in the 

 market and prices are firm. Lumber that can 

 be converted into box material is in active 

 demands. Dry stock moves off rapidly and 

 some firms are disposing of green lumber as 

 it comes from the saw. Trade, in fact, all 

 round is healthy, with indications that it 

 will hold out strong during the year. 



Indianapolis. 



There has been considerable betterment in 

 the car situation during the last fortnight. 

 With lighter grain movement and the long- 

 shoremen's strike in New York, which is de- 

 laying export trade, more cars are available 

 for lumber trafflc. Railroads operating in the 

 state are also receiving an unusual amount of 

 new equipment and the effect is noticeable. 

 Without doubt the car situation is better than 

 it has been in a long time and shippers have 

 little complaint to make. 



Building is increasing. In April building 

 fell off more than $120,000 as compared with 

 April, 1906. 



The demand for all grades of hardwood is 

 brisk with a specially heavy demand for all 

 kinds of oak. Building activity is exception- 

 ally heavy and the supply of hardwoods will 

 probably be less plentiful from now on. All 

 factories that use hardwoods are crowded with 

 orders, the output only depending upon ship- 

 ping and warehouse facilities. 



Bristol, Va.-Tenn. 



"The lumber business in this section is in 

 fine shape." said M. N. Offutt, of the Tug 

 River Lumber Company and Boice, Burns & 

 Offutt, to the Hardwood Record representa- 

 tive. "The mills are nearly all running regu- 

 larly. The car supply is ample and the de- 

 mand for stock in excess of the supply. Prices 

 are good, and while some do not appear to 

 be appreciative of present conditions, I am 

 eminently satisfied." 



The yards are pretty well filled, despite the 

 fact that lumber has been moving rapidly 

 during the past fortnight. The car supply 

 is much better and the lumbermen all report 

 that they are having no trouble in this re- 

 spect at present. 



Cincinnati. 



The demand for all grades of hardwood 

 lumber in this market has, if anythin:?, 

 showed improvement over that of the previ- 

 ous two weeks. This fact is emphasized by 

 the increase in the price of both poplar and 

 gum. The advance in poplar has been con- 

 templated for some time, but gum was not 

 expected to take a jump. Both woods have 

 advanced from $1 to $2 per thousand feet, 

 but despite this fact the demand has not let 

 up any. Both items find ready sale at the 

 increased prices, and consumers are willing 

 to pay the price asked if they can secure 

 immediate shipment. The car situation has 

 eased up, and dealers are doing a larger busi- 

 ness. Tlie demand for oak, both white and 

 quartered, is at its best and while the values 

 have not advanced, dealers are securing top 

 prices quoted for it. Building material of all 

 kinds is in active request. Large improve- 

 ments are being made in the suburbs, and 

 the construction of cottages along the river 

 banks for summer residences. Cypress and 

 mahogany are being rapidly absorbed and 

 prices are generally firm. The market has 

 had a firm tone for some time and from 

 present indications Will continue on that 

 basis throughout the year. 



The car shortage is believed to be prac- 

 tically a thing of the past. Shippers do not 

 complain and freight agents say they are 

 getting cars right along now. This will 



St. Louis. 



Buyers of hardwoods continue to put off 

 purchases except for stock that they need for 



