HARDWOOD RECORD 



growing and the market evinces firmness. 



Cottonwood in box grades has been active and 

 as supplies are sliort quotations have been easily 

 sustained. Red gum is a good seller at fine 

 prices. 



The poplar movement continues to increase. 

 Offerings arc being snapped up at manufacturers' 

 prices. 



Minneapolis. 



There is a temporary lull in the wholesale 

 trade here. The factories are not in the market 

 at present for large stocks. Where they felt 

 any uncertainty as to supply they got orders in 

 and insured themselves against a shortage some 

 time ago. Now (hey feel comparatively secure, 

 and are only buying for actual needs. 



There is a decided scarcity of rock elm, ash 

 and northern oak. There is some northern red 

 oak still offered at good prices, but the white 

 oak is cleaned up. The trade is taking oak 

 right along, and southern mills are being drawn 

 upon heavily. The railroads are buying oak tor 

 car shops, for timl)ers and ties, and this line 

 of business is lively. The iiuiet is most no- 

 ticeable in birch and basswood. There is not a 

 big stock of basswood, however, and prices are 

 tirm. Culls are moving well at advanced prices, 

 and the upper grades are not over plentiful. 

 Low grade birch Is scarce. There are plenty of 

 upper grades in stock, but the prospect is for 

 a good steady demand this fall and winter, and 

 there is no weakness in prices noted here. 

 Maple is in fair supply. 



The retail yards are taking hardwood in 

 mixed cars, mainly, and are calling for about 

 the usual amount of oak wagon stock, maple 

 wagon material and flooring. 



are running overtime In an effort to get out as 

 much stuff as possible before the bad weather 

 sets in. 



Saginaw Valley. 



There has been less activity in hardwood in 

 this location of late than has l)een manifested 

 in pine and hemlock. This does not signify ex- 

 ceptional dullness in hardwood, but rather more 

 than ordinary activity in the commodities named. 



Some hardwoods have been firm and taken as 

 fast as olt'ered during the season, notably ash 

 and oak. but local supplies of these commodities 

 are limited. Even now parties in the valley 

 are scouring the northern portion of the state 

 for oak for piling and bridge work to fill an 

 order for the Michigan Central railroad. Manu- 

 facturers state that maple has been dull, they 

 assert due to overproduction. Many if not all 

 of the flooring manufacturers contracted for 

 their maple early in the year and the remainder 

 goes into the hands of dealers who appear to 

 have been loaded up with maple, and this caused 

 an accumulation of stock and falling off in de- 

 mand. There is a picking up in beech and birch 

 lumber, some lots of the former having been 

 sold recently at $14. There is more in 

 qulry in fact for "all kinds of hardwood 

 stocks and dealers say the market is healthy in 

 tone with prices holding steady and fall pros- 

 pects good. There is considerable inquiry for 

 basswood, which is bringing good prices, and 

 the fortunate owner of ash can get any price 

 his conscience will permit him to ask. Consider- 

 able quantities of beech culls are being cut up 

 into box shooks, two or three firms here using 

 large quantities of them. Elm is steady. While 

 there are no material changes in quotations as 

 yet. it is noted that there is more inquiry and 

 a manifest disposition to buy more freely. 



Milwaukee. 



The market is beginning to assume a firmer 

 tone with Increased demands, though prices re- 

 main practically at a standstill. It is expected, 

 however, that within a few weeks an advance 

 will make itself noticeable all along the line. 

 The demand for hardwood flooring is very active, 

 but manufacturers are not taking advantage of 

 the situation and quoting liigher prices. 



Bristol. 



Market conditions in this section are generally 

 satisfactory, though even better conditions are 

 looked for in the fall and winter. A scarcity of 

 cars is reported on the lines of the Virginia & 

 Southwestern and Norfolk & Western, though 

 the situation has not as yet reached an acute 

 stage. 



The mills are all running regularly and some 



Nashville. 



Cumberland river has enough water in it now 

 for boating or rafting, but little timber is being 

 brought down to market. The suppl.y up the 

 river this fall is said to be considerably short ; 

 not more than a third, in fact, of what it gener- 

 ally is. This is one of the contributing causes in 

 keeping the price of lumber up here in all lines. 

 The market is quite firm in all departments and 

 practically nothing is dragging. Both quartered 

 red and quartered white oak are ready sellers. 

 Those who have dry ash are getting most any- 

 thing they have a mind to ask for it, as the 

 market generally is bare of this wood. Good 

 chestnut, which is fast becoming a popular fin- 

 ishing wood, is also scarce and bringing stiff 

 prices. The best grades of poplar are still be- 

 ing rapidly taken at quotations and quite a 

 demand is noticed for seconds, the box men 

 using the latter. Nashville dealers are full up 

 on orders and business for August, 1900, is 

 nearly double that in August, 1905. Mail or- 

 ders are coming in and the market is being vis- 

 ited each week by many buyers from a distance. 

 The outlook for fall business is entirely satis- 

 factory, as the lumbermen know they can sell 

 all they can get, and more too. The matter of 

 getting the stuff is the question. 



Memphis. 



Thert^ is a very satisfactory demand for south- 

 ern hardwoods and prices are generally well 

 maintained, with a tendency toward advance. 

 •Stocks of dry lumber in this territory are very 

 low and this scarcity is perhaps more largely 

 responsible for the firmness of the market than 

 the extent of the demand. With weather condi- 

 tions only fair and with production still consid- 

 erably below normal for this time of the year, 

 there is little prospect for accumulation of hold- 

 ings before next January. Some of the interior 

 mills are shut down altogether and others are 

 operating only part time, while the shipments 

 of lumber are quite equal to the receipts. The 

 export demand is not particularly active, but 

 there is a very satisfactory movement of plain 

 white oak. red gum and ash, as well as quarter- 

 sawed white oak, into foreign channels at good 

 prices. 



Some forward delivery business Is being 

 hooked, but in such cases sellers are protecting 

 themselves against inability to secure the lumber 

 by making provision for delayed shipment. The 

 scarcity of cars is pronounced and promises to 

 become more so, and this is another reason why 

 it is necessary for lumbermen to protect them- 

 selves against possible delay in delivering lumber. 



I*lain oak is in very satisfactory call, with 

 tlie market firm and with offerings rather scarce 

 in both red and white. There is some call for 

 (luarter-sawed white oak in the higher grades, 

 with the remainder of the list receiving increas- 

 ing inquiries. Ash is one of the strongest items 

 of the list. .\ll grades and thickaesses find a 

 ready sale at top prices. 



Cypress holds up well. It is not as scarce as 

 ash. but the demand takes up what is offered at 

 prices which are considered very good. 



Cottonwood and gum are both good sellers in 

 all grades. Cottonwood box boards are very 

 scarce, w-bile the lower grades are hard to secure 

 aad are bringing good prices. Firsts and seconds 

 Cottonwood are not showing as much snap as 

 the lower grades, and the same is applicable to 

 gum. However, firsts and seconds red gum are 

 commanding good prices, and offerings appear 

 to be scarce. Poplar is still in fair request. 



New Orleans. 



In the last fortnight more of the hardwood 

 mills in tills section have resumed operations, 

 and stocks are being added to gradually. How- 

 ever, stocks are not half what they were at this 

 season last year. The foreign trade is slack and 

 exports are not even fair. This is due largely to 

 the increase in ocean freight rates brought about 

 in anticipation of a big foreign cotton move- 

 ment. The interior demand is good, and the 

 same applies to prices. The big demand from 

 the interior is making up in a large measure for 



the poor foreign trade, and the mills are kept 

 busy, notwithstanding the small amount of ex- 

 ports. 



Knoxville. 



A fair amount of hardwood is in sight In 

 local lumber yards and prices are steady, with 

 a very good demand for all grades. The de- 

 mand is brisk and dealers are behind on ship- 

 ping orders. The export demand for walnut is 

 especially strong, and the local demand tor 

 building woods is improving this month. 



Louisville. 



During the past fortnight the hardwood mar- 

 ket in Louisville has improved considerably and 

 at present it looks as though the fall buying 

 will be in full swing about a month earlier than 

 usuaL Furniture men and other manufacturers 

 using hardwood who generally come in late in 

 September and October looking for stock are 

 now ready to place orders early in September. 

 Buyers are out earlier than manufacturers ex- 

 pected, so that lumbermen are taken unawares 

 and are a little slow about accepting orders for 

 large quantities. Naturally under these condi- 

 tions prices are holding firm. 



Poplar has scored more advances than any 

 other wood on the list. No. 1 common having ad- 

 vanced $.5 per thousand during the last thirty 

 days. Poplar as a rule is in short supply. Proba- 

 bly there is less excitement in quartered oak than 

 anything else. While quartered oak is good and 

 has been improving right along during the sum- 

 mer, the demand for this stock does not carry 

 with it the same snap as the call for plain oak 

 and other hardwoods. Plain oak is selling 

 briskly with more in sight probably than was 

 expected, but not more by any means than the 

 trade is in need of. The advance in gum pre- 

 dicted in these columns recently is now begin- 

 ning to be manifest, and some sales have been 

 made recently at figures |2 above what could 

 be obtained earlier in the summer. 



Ijverpool. 



Trade here was quite brisk during the last 

 two weeks. Salesmen all report that they have 

 made large sales. Mahogany continues brisk and 

 in good demand. An incident which happened 

 last week should be taken to heart by buyers of 

 this wood on your side. One large shipper of 

 this wood was busily engaged in chopping the 

 lot numbers off the logs. They could only be 

 doing this for one object — to make a profit on 

 the measure in selling to American buyers. As 

 many of your buyers may know. Liverpool ma- 

 hogany sale measure gives an advantage to the 

 buyer of at least 20 per cent. Buyers should 

 not only insist on the lot numbers being left on 

 the logs, but should ask the firms from whom 

 they buy that wood for the brokers' cards, which 

 are provided by the auctioneers. Ash and oak 

 logs are in better demand. Ash and oak planks 

 continue strong in price and other woods leave 

 nothing new to report. 



London. 



Although this is generally considered to he 

 the slackest time of the year, being holiday 

 time, it must be acknowledged that there is a 

 fair amount of business doing. Strange to say. 

 while shippers are still asking higher prices 

 for all goods, there is a good deal of stock arriv- 

 ing on consignments that can be picked up at 

 very low prices on the quay. 



The Rappahannock has arrived and is the first 

 of the Furness-Leylahd line to discharge her 

 cargo in the Greenland docks of the Surrey 

 Commercial Dock and it must be said that con- 

 sidering the facilities offered and the declaration 

 on the dock company's part that they are mak- 

 ing a bid for the hardwood trade of the port 

 of London, the trade is to be congratulated upon 

 the fact that this dock company is at last 

 able to give them these facilities. 



The best seller at the moment is oak and the 

 parcels arriving are quite equal to the demand, 

 but 3 and 4 inch planks are not coming forward 

 as fast as they are wanted. 



Whitewood is not in great demand and buyers 

 are not inclined to face the higher prices asked. 



The cheaper grades of satin walnut are in 

 fair demand at the moment, but there is no 

 great call for prime. Hickory and ash are in 

 fair demand at good prices. 



