Go 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



out again at any moment, in the event of wliich 

 building woik will be greatly interfered with. 

 As it is. it is predicted that building operation 

 work for the summer will fall off somewhat on 

 account of the high values in lumber, etc. It 

 Is nothinar unusual that the furniture factories 

 show a comparative dullness at this period, not- 

 withstanding a good many plants are working 

 actively. Sash and door mills are slacking up a 

 little with the exception of a few of the large 

 concerns, which have orders to keep them going 

 some time. Indoor flnish work is unaffected and 

 veneer and cigar box makers are rushed. Values 

 remain about the same, with ash, chestnut and 

 liasswood in the lead, but very scarce. Oak gen- 

 erally is a little more plentiful : white oak is 

 showing up better, and red oak keeps stiff. Pop- 

 lar is very strong : maple, both lumber and floor- 

 ing, holds firm, and cherry runs smoothly. Ap- 

 parently there is no sign of weakening in any 

 of the hardwoods. ^ 



Baltimore. 



There are no developments of note in the 

 hardwood trade of this section. All kinds of 

 lumber continues to be in brisk demand and 

 prices are holding their own very well. There 

 are no indications of a drop at any time in the 

 near future, and all the mills are being op- 

 erated to the limit of their capacity. The for- 

 eign business Is not as brisk as was expected 

 caHier in the season, but a fair demand prevails 

 and no complaints are heard. The inquiry from 

 abroad is active enough to prevent a positive de- 

 cline in values, and the belief is entertained 

 that the foreign market will develop more snap 

 later on. Oak. of course, leads all the other 

 woods in point of inquiry, stock being called for 

 in large quantities, and the mills being pushed 

 for supplies. The situation, however, presents 

 some improvement because the car famine is 

 less acute than it has been at times, and the 

 responses to calls for lumber are as a rule fairly 

 prompt, though more or less delay cannot be 

 avoided. The range of values is everything that 

 could be desired, and every effort is being made 

 to get out stocks, especially in view of the 

 floods that have occurred at different places in 

 the south, putting many sawmills out of busi- 

 ness for the time being and to an appreciable 

 extent curtailing the available supplies of lum- 

 ber. This new impediment in the way of liberal 

 offerings is held to preclude all possibility of 

 congestion during the current year and not a 

 few of the plants are making preparations to in- 

 crease their output. In cases where mill con- 

 struction has been more or less delayed the pro- 

 jectors of plants are putting forth every effort 

 to get the work under way and to a point where 

 these plants can be made productive. Ash is 

 also in excellent request at prices that stimulate 

 manufacture. Poplar appears to retain its 

 strength and is being moved as fast as the mills 

 can turn out lumber. Prices are attractive. 

 M'ainut shows no marked change, good market- 

 able lumber being freely taken, while the de- 

 mand for mahogany and other woods is about 

 up to the record of any previous time during 

 the past year. Stocks in the hands of local deal- 

 ers are comparatively small and there appears 

 to be no need for making concessions in order 

 to effect sales. 



Pittsburg. 



Those who have hardwood are busy selling 

 it and those who have none are busy trying to 

 get some. 



The men who anticipated that this was going 

 to be a banner hardwood year are feeling good. 

 They have no trouble in selling their stock. 

 On the other hand it is chiefly a question of 

 getting good dry stock for early delivery. Trav- 

 eling men report more than double the current 

 demand for oak and maple than for pine and 

 hemlock and prices are accordingly firm. 



So far in spite of the general feeling that the 

 summer market is going to be dull there are no 

 evidences of it in the hardwood trade. If any- 



thing, prices are a little stiffer than a month 

 ago. Oak especially is selling at the whole- 

 saler's figures if he can deliver it with any 

 promptness. Within the last two weeks the 

 railroad companies liave shown their hand in the 

 oak market again and are getting figures on 

 some big lists. Timbers are a big factor in the 

 general demand, but oak mill stuff is also lead- 

 ing most of the calls on the lumberman's board. 

 Piles and ties are selling quite as well as a 

 month ago, and are hard to get in some sources. 

 The West Virginia mills are all busy and there 

 is little rumor of apathy in the small country 

 mills of western Pennsylvania and Ohio, which 

 supply so much of the white oak for piling, etc. 



Indianapolis. 



The local market continues about the same as 

 it has for several weeks. Shipments are coming 

 in better and the demand for hardwoods is in- 

 creasing with the beginning of really good weath- 

 er. Prices, however, remain practically un- 

 changed. The new law, going into effect June 

 1. requiring that all shippers must make requisi- 

 tion in writing for cars to be loaded and that 

 cars must be supplied in the order in which 

 requisitions are received, is expected to give 

 lumbermen a better show for cars in the future. 

 .Vt present there are no surplus cars on tracks to 

 meet emergencies. Rates are ruling steady and 

 there is no perceptible decrease in freight tralBc. 



latter cannot promise anything owing to the 

 uncertainty of good logging conditions. 



Bristol, 'Va.-Tenn. 



Activity continues to characterize the lumber 

 industry in this section. The mills are all run- 

 ning and lumbermen report good business and 

 tine prospects, though eastern lumbermen coming 

 here do not seem to entertain such a roseate view 

 of the future. Local exporters report that the 

 foreign market is not quite as good as it has 

 been, though this lull is believed to be only tem- 

 porary. The car supply is satisfactory on nearly 

 all the roads in this section, though some manu- 

 facturers in remote sections complain that they 

 are not getting an ample supply. 



Cincinnati. 



The local hardwood market has shown little 

 during the past two weeks, with the possible 

 exception of building material, which has re- 

 ceived a more brisk call than for many months. 

 The weather has been very disagreeable, being 

 rainy, but the market did not weaken any. The 

 good demand that has predominated for many 

 months continues and prospects are that it will 

 continue for some time to come. As usual pop- 

 lar is the leader in this market but is given a 

 merry pace by oak. Both are readily absorbed 

 at prices asked. Chestnut during the last two 

 weeks has stiffened in price, but this did not 

 affect the demand. Gum and hickory are hold- 

 ing their own, with prices steady. Cypress is 

 salable at firm prices, as are also mahogany and 

 walnut. TTie market as a whole is firm, with 

 stocks low and the demand brisk. If the weath- 

 er improves any it will bring many of the sum- 

 mer orders into the market. Building is being 

 delayed by the rain, while other outdoor work is 

 crippled as well. 



St. Louis. 



A featiu-e of the situation is that buyers 

 are awakening to the fact that they must com- 

 mence to c{jntract for future supplies. There 

 being no great amount of logs at the mills for 

 future operations, and the labor question being 

 still unsolved, there is no immediate prospect 

 for extensive summer milling. The decline in 

 prices which some had looked forward to has 

 not materialized, and probably will not. Ash, 

 poplar and Cottonwood, quartered oak and gum 

 are having as strong a run as ever, and plain 

 oak is stronger. The weather in Missouri and 

 Arkansas bids fair to improve, but has been ex- 

 ceedingly unfavorable for weeks. Although de- 

 mand has not been rushing, it is considerably 

 better than shipments from the mills, and the 



Memphis. 

 The demand for hardwood lumber while not 

 pressing is still satisfactory, and the volume 

 of business is about as large as the limited stock 

 of dry lumber will allow. In some directions 

 there is pronounced scarcity of dry lumber, there 

 having been little increase during the past few 

 weeks in holdings here. Buyers are inclined to 

 go a little slower in placing orders but they are 

 buying freely enough to enable the market to dis- 

 play a very healthy undertone. There is some 

 shading of red gum in firsts and seconds and 

 clear saps, just as there has been for the past 

 four or five weeks, but the lower grades of this 

 lumber are in excellent demand. Cypress, too, is 

 a shade easier in tiie higher grades, while the 

 lower, as is the case with gum. are relatively 

 firmer than the higher. Ash is scarce and hard 

 to get in good quantities, with the result that 

 ter sawn oak are not available in large quanti- 

 ties and manufacturers and wholesalers alike are 

 having practically no difficulty in disposing of 

 what they have for sale. Cottonwood is firm in 

 all grades though the lower are perhaps even 

 firmer than the higher. The output of this wood 

 during the spring has been greatly restricted by 

 the unfavorable vi'eather, while consumption has 

 been of record proportions. The demand for pop- 

 lar is satisfactory and prices are well main- 

 tained. The export trade is not especially active. 

 Holders, however, are generally firm in their 

 views of the situation and outlook and this ex- 

 plains in some measure the firmness with which 

 values are maintained. 



New Orleans. 



Heavy general rains through this section in 

 the last two months have interfered seriously 

 with the operations of millmen and though the 

 weather has been good during the last week or 

 so hardwood manufacturers are still feeling the 

 effects of the almost unprecedented rains that 

 were experienced during May. Severe thunder- 

 storms accompanied these heavy showers and a 

 good deal of damage resulted. The interior de- 

 mand on hardwoods is still good, though the ex- 

 port market has fallen off slightly. Prices have 

 not been affected to any great extent by this 

 falling off, however, and though the exports have 

 declined somewhat the market is still in fairly 

 good shape. 



Liverpool. 



The boom in trade which was confldently 

 anticipated a few weeks ago has not continued 

 and business has dwindled to a state of leth- 

 argy. 



Poplar, asli and oak lumber are still strong, 

 anything approaching seasoned stock is eas- 

 ily sold. Lower prices are not expected here 

 for some little time to come, such is the very 

 low condition of stocks. 



Mahog;any is firm. It is safe to say that 

 next sale prices will be much liigher. The 

 sale yards are very empty and it is openly 

 announced by brokers here that they have in- 

 structions to hold their wood at the next sale 

 for higher prices. 



The absence of any import of any "West 

 Indian or South American mahogany and the 

 approaching close of the season for shipment 

 from the west coast of Africa point to higher 

 prices being easily obtained. 



POPLAR 



Rough and Dressed 



SOUTHERN HARDWOODS 



M. A. HAYWARD 



1021 Saving and Trust Bldg., Columbus, O. 



