32 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



for stocks must continue brisk because o£ tlie 

 extraordinary requirements of the large con- 

 sumers which cannot be deferred but must be 

 met without delay. And this oiiinion appears 

 to be .iustiflerl by the existing state ot affairs, 

 which has all the manifestalions of a big boom. 

 Oak commands m.)s-t attiaitive values and 

 the inquiries are alwa.v.s ahead of the output of 

 the mills, which latter have contracts enough to 

 keep them going for months to come. Sliipments 

 are m.ade at record-breaking figures and the ten- 

 dency of stumpage values is steadily upward. 

 The demand for foreign points is said to be not 

 (piite so urgent as it was some time ago, but 

 the situation there is eminently satisfactory. 

 What is eciually important, the terms are such 

 as to leave the exporters a good profit, liecause 

 the consignees have ceased to insist upon vexa- 

 tious requirements which tend to cut down the 

 gains. Ash is not far behind oak, being eagerly 

 sought, bringing very acceptable prices and hold- 

 ing its own in every particular. Chestnut, wal- 

 nut, beech and all the other hardwoods dealt in 

 are finding ready takers and there is so far no 

 indication of a decline in the movement. The 

 favorable weather serves to increase the output 

 of the mills, hut an inspection ot the yards here 

 shows that stocks have been materially reduced 

 during the past months, and that large quanti- 

 ties of lumber will be needed to bring the selec- 

 tion up to what it was before the heavy with- 

 drawals. Business is being done abroad on a 

 more satisfactory basis and exporters are hene- 

 lited accordingly. 



Pittsburg. 



Pittsburg hardwood men for months have 

 held the center of the .stage. It is not so with 

 dealers in other woods by a long way. Busi- 

 ness is moving along at a very fair pace in 

 all lines, but it goes by leaps and jumps in 

 the hardwood trade, and there is not a dealer 

 in the city who is not ahead of the game so 

 far as orders are concerned. His greatest 

 trouble is to get lumber enough to fill his 

 orders and cars to ship out the stock. Of late 

 the latter complaint has been a very serious 

 one. especially on the short line branches in 

 West Virginia, where the scarcity of cars is 

 perhaps more pronounced than one month 

 ago. 



Everything in hardwood is selling well. 

 Stocl<s at the country mills are piclced over 

 till they are down to the minimum. Dry 

 lumber is at a premium almost anywhere in 

 the Pittsburg district. 



Under this strain of demand prices are re- 

 marlcably firm in all lines. Oak is leading the 

 race. Pittsburg has never had a better mar- 

 ket for oak lumber of almost every variety 

 than this spring. From the finest grades of 

 finishing stock to the heavy timbers and pil- 

 ing wanted for river and railroad improve- 

 ments there is a steady inquiry for every- 

 thing in oak and the quotations named by 

 local wholesalers are not objected to, as a 

 rule. Chestnut is strongest in market this 

 month. There is an excellent inquiry for 

 sound wormy, and mill culls are being worked 

 oft at good prices. Piano and casket manu- 

 facturers are taking more chestnut this spring 

 than ever before and this makes a very good 

 demand for the better grades. Several firms 

 report a splendid call for ash and hickory, 

 which are wanted chiefly by the factories of 

 Ohio and Michigan. The trade throughout the 

 Kast is good and some big orders have been 

 placed there lately. 



There seems to be oak enough to meet most 

 demands and the balance between quartered 

 and plain is better than it used to be. Prices 

 are strong, and .some dealers say that they 

 ought to be higher. 



One thing that is not very reassuring to the 

 eastern dealer is the fact that so much hard- 

 wood lumber sells right from the mills into 

 other markets. It is now out of the question 

 to bring such woods as gum and cottonwood 

 here, as there is a better trade in them 

 further south and west. 



There is a big demand for poplar, with only 

 a light supply and that pretty badly dis- 

 tributed. While some of the dealers are man- 

 aging to get a, fair supply of it, others are 

 reporting so little ot it that they have to turn 

 most ot their orders down. 



The opening ot tlie late trade will soon add 

 materially to the birch, black ash, elm, maple 

 and basswood supply, all ot which will find a 

 ready sale. The demand for elm is improving, 

 as it is wanted so badly in place of ash, and 

 maple is going into the same trade. Bass- 

 wood grows in demand as poplar becomes 

 harder to find. 



shortage that held back trade for some time is 

 now practically cleared up and cars can be 

 secured with short notice. The only thing that 

 now bothers lumber dealers is the shortage 

 ot stock on poplar grades. That item ot wood 

 has never been in greater activity than now 

 and dealers are contemplating augmenting the 

 price. Poplar firsts and seconds are eagerly 

 sought and dealers are securing fancy prices: 

 however, a general rise in the price has not 

 been posted. Oak, white and plain, are two 

 more that are receiving their portion of re- 

 quests, and next to poplar are the best seller 

 in this market. Hemlock and cypress are 

 still selling well, but not like oak and poplar. 

 Hickory, spruce, birch and mahogany are 

 keeping up with the pace set iiy them some 

 weeks ago and prices obtained are generally 

 on a steady basis. Dealers now look for heavy 

 orders ,all through the year 19117. 



Buffalo. 



Business in hardwood is unanimously re- 

 ported active, with prospects for a busy 

 season. There is in general enough stock of 

 the various hardwoods to meet the demand, 

 though it is no longer possible for the con- 

 sumer to choose just the sort that he used to 

 prefer. 



Saginaw Valley. 



Hardwood plants are in operation throughout 

 this territory and u number of them have been 

 running all winter, yet there is no accumulation 

 ot dry stock. The market is in much better form 

 than it was a year ago, both as to volume and 

 price. A quantity ot No. 1 common basswood 

 at ,?43 a thousand was shijiped out to I'ennsyl- 

 vania last week, and there is an inquiry for dry 

 stock on every hand. Beech and birch are do- 

 ing very well. A lot of beech, birch and bass- 

 wood culls are being worked up into boxes. 

 Prices for all kinds of hardwood are now firm 

 and everything that appeals to the eye of the 

 dealer is being taken. Maple flooring has ad- 

 vanced on the factory grades and the market all 

 through is strong, 



Indianapolis. 



Within the last ten days the car situation has 

 shown considerable improvement throughout 

 Indiana. Cars ot the fast freight lines have ap- 

 peared in larger numbers during that time than 

 at any other period within the last five or six 

 months. This does not mean that there is an 

 ample supply of cars for every line of traffic, but 

 the roliet is noticeable. An advance in grain 

 rates has checked the demand tor cars from that 

 source and it is believed that the shortage will 

 be greatly relieved until grain begins to move in 

 the fall. Lumber has been coming into Indian- 

 apolis in large quantities the last ten days, and 

 hardwood men are getting a fairly satisfactory 

 .supply to meet the unusually heavy demand. 

 There has been no increase in hardwood prices, 

 nor is any contemplated, it is understood, in 

 the immediate future. The demand for all lines 

 of hardwood is brisk, with a fairly good supply. 



Bristol, Va,-Temi. 



The past fortnight has seen no appreciable 

 change in market conditions in this section. 

 Despite the fact that stock is moving rapidUv 

 and there is a steady demand for all grades and 

 kinds, it is beginning to accumulate on the yards 

 which have been pretty generally depleted for the 

 past few weeks. 



The car supply is not what it sliould be and 

 many lumbermen in remote sections report that 

 they' are handicapped by their inability to get 

 their wants in this line supplied. 



Local exporters report the foreign markets 

 very satisfactory. There has been a large amount 

 of stock from this section exported this year 

 and shippers are unanimously satisfied with 

 conditions abroad at the present time. 



St. Louis. 



The demand for hardwoods is still excellent, 

 but the majority of dealers report the market 

 less active than it was a month ago. Buyer.<i 

 evidently think that the improved car service 

 and the past few weeks of good weather in 

 soutliern milling and logging territory will bring 

 up a large amount of stock, which operators 

 have not been able to move during the winter 

 months. However, the cut for the season was 

 light, owing to the heavy rains and tlie scarcity 

 ot cars. 



Poplar, cottonwood and ash are still in great 

 demand with the jobbing and consuming trade 

 at the prevailing high prices for all sorts of 

 grades in these woods. Oak is not so active ot 

 late as it was a short time ago. although the 

 demand for quartered white is still excellent. 

 Gum is coming into the market rapidly, and 

 with the increased supply there seems to be no 

 diminution in the call, business in this line 

 being better than ever before. 



Nashville. 



Nashville lumbermen have at last reached the 

 stage where they are making promises about the 

 time they will deliver shipments, so marked has 

 been the recent improvement in the car shortage 

 situation. Until right recently the question 

 of getting a car for a shipment figured very ma- 

 terially in the price paid. Many northern and 

 eastern dealers who came South here offered 

 big increases in quotations it they could only 

 get the promise ot a car at once in which to 

 forward their stuff. Poplar continues to lead all 

 the other hardwoods in this market. Dealers 

 who have any are still able to get most any- 

 thing they have the nerve to ask for all kinds 

 of stock. Quartered oak showed a slight ad- 

 vance this past week, although the market has 

 been pretty steady in this variety owing to the 

 liberal supply on hand. There is plenty of 

 plain oak but it is selling well. A good deal of 

 ash has been reaching this market recently, 

 although a slight advance is noticed. Gum 

 shows an advance, owing to the heavy inroads 

 the box men have been making. First class oak 

 staves are now bringing the highest price ever 

 known here. The demand for staves this season 

 exceeds that of any previous year. In some 

 quarters staves are worth more than lumber 

 and many ot the saw mills are putting in stave 

 cutting facilities. 



Cincinnati. 



The demand for all grades of hardwood 

 lumber in this market is excellent. The car 



Memphis. 



The demand for hardwood lumber is perhaps 

 not quite so active as previously. 'There is no 

 evidence of weakness in the market and there is 

 still a very satisfactory volume of business do- 

 ing, but it is evident that buyers are not quite 

 so strenuous as they were. They have secured 

 large quantities ot lumber during the past several 

 months and, with improved car service, this is 

 now being delivered to them. Thus they are in 



