HARDWOOD RECORD 



33 



a waiting attitude pending further d(.'velopments 

 liefore they become active buyers again. 



There is scarcely as much strength in the 

 higher grades of gum as there has been recently. 

 The offerings of this have shown considerable 

 increase and some holders are offering to sell 

 at lower prices than recently current, which has 

 created the impression among buyers that prices 

 DTiay go lower on this class of lumber. The 

 lower grades are firmly held because there is 

 such an excellent demand for these for use in 

 box and crating factories, riain oak, quartered 

 oak, ash, poplar and cypress are just as firm as 

 heretofore. There is no surplus of any of these 

 woods and holders are rather independent. The 

 recent increase in the amount of hardwood lum- 

 ber placed on sticks may have had some influ- 

 ence in making buyers hold back somewhat, but 

 the decrease now in evidence, resulting from 

 the unfavorable weather conditions told of in 

 the general letter from Memphis, may have the 

 effect of renewing the demand somewhat in in- 

 stances where it is beginning to lag. General 

 conditions continue quite wholesome and the 

 trade is confident of the immediate future of the 

 market. 



Charlotte, N. C. 



Hardwood market conditions locally are satis- 

 factory. The good prices that have prevailed 

 for six months continue with little evidence of 

 early reduction. All grades of lumber are de- 

 manding stiff prices. The past few weeks have 

 brought much Improvement in the car situatiou 

 and the prospects are that before many more 

 weeks lumbermen will not be troubled at all iu 

 this direction. High-grade hardwood is some- 

 what scarce on the local market, and prices have 

 advanced. Poplar and chestnut are in demand 

 over the state. Weather conditions were favor- 

 able to work during the month of April, many 

 important timber deals have been made, new 

 companies are chartered almost daily and alto 

 gether the outlook here is exceedingly gratifying 

 to the hardwood manufacturer. 



Louisville. 



There are hustling times in the Louisville 

 hardwood market. The improvement in the car 

 situation continues, and as a result the receipts 

 in the yards here and the shipments from 

 <-ountry points have been much more liberal. 

 Operations in the woods are also more active. 

 There does not seem to be any trouble about 

 the demand, except that here and there a pros- 

 pective buyer will wrangle over prices, but these 

 things are always with us and do not alter the 

 fact that prosperit.v continues to smile on the 

 hardwood trade in this community and every 

 <!lass of hardwood ju-oducts finds a ready 

 market. 



There is in addition to the regular factory 

 trade an increasing call for structural material 

 as the spring building season advances, and this 

 call in the aggregate absorbs a large quantity 

 of hardwood and incidentally assists the mill 

 men materially in cleaning up their cut. Poplar 

 bevel siding continues scarce and in demand, as 

 is the case with all poplar lumber. Aside from 

 poplar, which is distinctly in the lead, the woods 

 seem to be pretty well bunched as far as demand 

 is concerned, and naturally with the continued 

 improved conditions of transportation there is a 

 decided increase in the amount of business being 

 done. 



POPLAR 



Rough and Dressed 



SOUTHERN HARDWOODS 



M. A. HAYWARD 



1021 Saving and Trust Bldg., Columbus, O. 



Minneapolis. 



The country trade is the main feature now 

 with Twin City wholesalers. They could do 

 a bigger volume of business it they had the 

 stock, but the offerings of dry lumber are 

 decidedly restricted. Some oak is being 

 shipped green and, with the exception of one 

 or two small lots of red oak, there is no dry 

 northern oak stock to be had. Low grade 

 lumber is all very scarce and high in price, 

 .and basswood is especially sought after. Box 

 manufacturers are buying the new cut and 

 will soon have it cleaned up at prices $5 or $6 

 a thousand higher than last year. The mixed 

 car trade is good and calls for wagon stock, 

 which is very scarce, with liberal amounts 

 of flooring. 



Factories seem pretty well stocked up for 

 the present and are not buying much, but 

 are looking ahead and contracting to quite an 

 extent for the new cut, at prices which show- 

 confidence in the market. The talk of re- 

 trenchment in business has not affected the 

 factories as much as it has .some wholesalers, 

 who are disposed to clean up and not take 

 on much more stock until summer comes and 

 they know more about the outlook. Prices 

 are stiff now on everything, and birch, about 

 the only northern hardwood in fair supply, is 

 running low and getting stronger on the mar- 

 ket, though the new cut can be had on con- 

 tract very reasonably. Southern stock is not 

 very freely offered and is held high. Dry ash 

 is out of the market, and new offerings are 

 pretty well contracted by large consumers. 



Rhinelander, Wis. 



Backward spring weather has delayed the 

 placing of a good many orders, and complaints 

 are being made that trade is rather dull. Trav- 

 eling men report finding factories pretty well 

 filled up. There are certain items, however, that 

 customers are short of, as was the case last 

 year. Cars are quite plentiful, but for eastern 

 shipments nothing but gondolas or flats are pro- 

 vided, a*d in the case of hardwood flooring, or 

 firsts and seconds of any kind, dealers dislike to 

 load open cars. One advantage in loading open 

 cars is that one can get on a good big load. 

 C. P. Crosby of this city last week shipped a 

 car from Whitcomb. Wis., to Sheboygan loaded 

 with 30,D32 feet of 2-inch birch plank. This 

 is the biggest carload of lumber on record yet, 

 considering the fact that dry birch weighs 4,00U 

 pounds, so that the car must have weighed over 

 120,000 pounds. Buyers of basswood are re- 

 signed to the prevailing prices and are placing 

 orders for the new cut without a kick. Those 

 who cannot afford to use basswood will have to 

 substitute some other wood, for there is no 

 likelihood that it will ever become plentiful or 

 cheap again. 



Birch is selling well and covering a wide 

 range of country. Probably the birch trade 

 never before approached in volume what it is 

 today. Many manufacturers of furniture and 

 wood goods are using it in place of some wood 

 that has grown too scarce or too high for them, 

 but the bulk of it goes into house finishing, 

 w-here it is largely supplanting oak. A good 

 deal of birch leaves here for New York state 

 points, and Ohio and Indiana are buying it to 

 a large extent also. 



Soft elm is in better demand than at any time 

 for several years and is commanding good prices, 

 but still they are not as much as the wood is 

 worth, 



Toledo. 



Good demand, firm prices and no surplus stock 

 seem to fairly toll the condition of the hardwood 

 market in Toledo, The strongest feature of the 

 market is poplar. This wood is very scarce and 

 very high. Every foot is snapped up eagerly as 

 fast as it is received and box men and manu- 

 facturers are complaining constantly of being 



imable to get stock. The maple market, particu- 

 larly in the flooring line, has been fairly quiet 

 up to a week ago, but since that time it has 

 taken a brace and now is moving along In prett.v 

 good shape. There is a strong demand for plain 

 oak with prices inclining upward. Quartered 

 oak is also fairly active and may take a jump 

 at any time. Ash is holding well with demand 

 fair ; straight-grained is not to be found in any 

 tjuantity. Hickory is being readily sold. 



Ashland, Ky. 



The car shortage is easier in this section and 

 not so much ditficulty is met in making prompt 

 shipments. There was never a better demand 

 for high grade poplar, and in fact all kinds and 

 grades of lumber find ready sale as soon as they 

 leave the saws ; in consequence of which there 

 is very little accumulation in the yards. All 

 mills are busy and lumbermen have no complaint 

 from an.v qinirter. 



Liverpool. 



Two mahogany sales were held recently and 

 higher prices were the rule. The advance, 

 though small, was ciuite distinct and there is 

 no hesitation in saying that much higher prices 

 can be looked forward to. Mahogany on this 

 side is, without the smallest shadow of doubt, 

 coming into fashion again. All the cabinet 

 makers state that it will be used more than 

 ever during the next year or so. This must 

 mean that the increased deinand will bring 

 increased prices. It certainly seems a sound 

 deduction to buy freely at the comparatively 

 low price prevailing today. 



Poplar and ash are still firm and stocks are 

 very low. Oak remains in similar position. 

 Hickory is better and is really wanted. Some- 

 thing like a famine in this wood would take 

 place if one or two of the big buyers started 

 buying, as they no doubt shortly will have 

 to do. Satin walnut and walnut boards are 

 not so good as they should be, considering the 

 high price of poplar. Ash logs are not so 

 strong, the import having been very heavy. 

 These should be kept back a bit. The price 

 asked, too, does not meet with buyers' ideas, 

 which are only low. 



London. 



Business certainly seems to be improving and 

 Intyers are making more inquiries for stocks, 

 which in many instances seem to be coming 

 forward quite freely. 



Thick oak planks for car construction and 

 house building purposes are still scarce. Most 

 of the arrivals are being sold on the open mar- 

 ket and are realizing top prices. It is not 

 always safe to send thick planks here for the 

 open market, but at the present moment buyers 

 are afraid that by the time they receive goods 

 ordered prices may not be quite so high. 



Plain boards, 1", IM," and 1%", seem to be 

 arriving quite freely, but the market is in 

 position to deal with these stocks for some time 

 to come. 



Quartered boards and planks are coming into 

 better demand and there is no great stock here. 



Walnut is very difficult of sale, the demands 

 being for other woods for furniture making. 

 There is a fair stock of all except prime grade 

 thin boards, which are in request. Logs fit for 

 veneers would sell well. The demand for satin 

 walnut is mostly for No. 1 common, which is in 

 good supply ; Is and 2s have got too high in 

 price for the class of small makers who manu- 

 facture this wood into furniture, and therefore 

 the demand is restricted to one or two large 

 buyers who take constant supplies which do not 

 come on the market. Whitewood shows a con- 

 tinued scarcity and stocks are practically ex- 

 hausted and arrivals realize good prices. 



Ash planks have a good sale, but logs are 

 neglected. 



