HARDWOOD RECORD 



37 



common and better elm the quotation here is 

 $22-$26 ; basswood is held at S23, and ?15 for 

 culls: beech is quite firm at $13 and $14; birch 

 brings $20 to $22.50 ; maple, $10 to $1S, and 

 ash. $27. 



There is not a large stock of ash available, 

 but some firms will handle quite a large amount, 

 and the same may be said of basswood, although 

 llipre are larger stocks of the latter. 



No difliculty is exijerlenced in getting cars and 

 llnTO is a free movement. Some maple is going 

 inici building timber, one or two firms having 

 large orders for it for that pui'po.se. 



Nashville. 



■|'he Nashville market is reported firm in prac- 

 U(ally every line. The local firms are breaking 

 all records in their shipments to all parts of 

 tlie United States, as well as to Europe. There 

 seems to be a universal building boom, and as 

 Nashville is in the heart of the hardwood dis- 

 trict much wood for interior finishing is shipped 

 from here to all sections of the country. 



Stiff prices are quoted on all kinds and grades 

 I 1 lumber. Quartered red oak may be termed a 

 irifie slow, and plain red is bringing prices nearly 

 as high as quartered. The local activity in 

 l)uilding lines continues and the woodworking 

 plants are buying large quantities of timber. The 

 spring business is holding up better than was 

 anticipated, and lumbermen are more than satis- 

 fled with trade conditions. 



Memphis. 



There is a continued good hardwood demand 

 in Memphis and vicinity and conditions are re- 

 garded by the trade as quite healthy. There is 

 a slight falling off in the call for plain oak re- 

 ported by a few, but this condition is not having 

 much bearing on the situation for the reason 

 that there is very little (or sale. One manu- 

 facturer expresses the opinion that there is not 

 300,000 feet of 2-inch plain oak in the whole 

 Memphis territory and that there is relatively 

 little of any kind of plain oak ready for imme- 

 diate handling. Quarter-sawed red oak is slow 

 in the higher grades, but there is a fairly good 

 demand for the lower, some manufacturers re- 

 porting the sale of practically their entire hold- 

 ings, .lust the reverse obtains in white quarter- 

 sawed, the higher grades selling well and the 

 lower being in' very slight request. Prices on 

 all grades of oak are well maintained. 



Ash and cypress are growing in strength and 

 there is an excellent call for both woods, which 

 is limited only by the light stocks available. 

 Some of the larger manufacturers report their 

 yards more depleted in these two items than they 

 have been for five or six years. Prices are very 

 firm. 



The position occupied by gum Is one of grow- 

 ing importance. The demand is strong at prices 

 that would have seemed incredible even three or 

 four months ago. All grades are wanted and 

 not a little of this lumber is being exported. 

 Ofl'erings are not large, though some of the 

 smaller mills are willing to sell their cut ahead, 

 so that considerable quantities can be secured 

 for delivery when the product now being turned 

 out is dry enough for handling. 



Cottonwood is scarce- and strong, with an up- 

 ward tendency. There is not much dry material 

 to be bad. One big company liere is selling con- 

 siderable Cottonwood because prices for the lum- 

 ber are higher, proportionately, than thos-e for 

 box shooks. Box boards are exceptionally scarce 

 and some extremely fancy prices are obtainable 

 for dry stock. 



Tliere is a good demand for all grades of 

 poplar, the scarcity of Cottonwood stimulating 

 the inquiry for the lower grades. Prices are 

 firmly held. 



Production is on a fairly large scale both here 

 and in the interior, but, even with favorable 

 weather conditions, it is conceded that it will 



be some months before there will be a restoration 

 of normal stocks of dry lumber. Export demand 

 shows some further slight increase and prices 

 are very satisfactory on the business put through, 



Minneapolis. 



This is naturally a season of light demand 

 from factory trade, especially from sash and 

 door people, but hardwood dealers are doing an 

 excellent run of business just the same. There 

 is steady buying of mixed cars with a goodly 

 proportion of hardwood, and oak stock is being 

 drawn upon to the limit. Maple flooring is very 

 active and advanced another dollar in price a 

 few days ago. The furniture factories are taking 

 oak when ottered and are scouring the country 

 for dry rock elm. There is no northern oak for 

 factory consumption and the southern mills that 

 have sold to ship into this territory are nearly 

 all cut otf by high water. 



Dry birch in upper grades promises to be well 

 cleaned up by the time new stock is ready to 

 ship. Basswood is also well cleaned up. There 

 has been some fine drying weather the past 

 week, dry, warm and windy, and green lumber 

 is rapidly rounding into condition for shipping. 

 Harring a long wet spell new basswood will be 

 on the market early in May. Stocks of hardwood 

 are very low. and the mills all report their 

 stocks sold out much closer this year than usual. 

 .Ml are sawing and expect a prosperous year. 

 There is plenty of building going on. and the 

 sash and door factories will be using large quan- 

 tities of hardwood stock again before long. Box 

 men are preparing to buy basswood culls heavily 

 this year right from the start, 



liouisville. 



The Louisville hardwood market would be in 

 excellent shape if mauufacturers could cat';h up 

 with orders and get in position to take new busi- 

 ness for attention in the near future. There is 

 a good volume of inquiries and orders all along 

 the line, but there is also a great clamor from 

 those who have made purchases because of de- 

 layed shipments. If there is a hardwood man in 

 this territory who is not behind on orders he has 

 not yet been heard from. 



There has been among the box factories quite 

 an active demand lately for Nos. 1 and 2 cotton- 

 wood. Ordinarily No. 2 is the wood that goes 

 into boxes, but the Louisville trade, which makes 

 lots of high-grade whiskey boxes, uses a quantity 

 of No. 1 Cottonwood. Cottonwood is the favorite 

 material for whisky boxes, and is now in more 

 active demand even than low-grade poplar, anil 

 the latter, as is well known, has been on the 

 a<tive and scarce lists all spring. Cottonwood 

 box boards have been selling well, and of late 

 there has been some inquiries for this material 

 in the Louisville market that the local dealers 

 could not take care of. In oak the demand con- 

 tinues heavy tor plain-sawed and there is some 

 improvement in quartered, though it has never 

 I aught up with plain oak and prol>alily will not 

 this season. 



Tliere arc some inquiries from abroad, but the 

 prices prevailing across the water do not offer as 

 mucli inducement this season as those of the 

 local markets. Oak, maple and beech flooring 

 manulactuiers have enjoyed a very good run of 

 liusiness lately, and the outlook is for a con- 

 tinued heavy run of business in hardwood lloor- 

 iii>; in tliis territory. 



Parcels of plain oak in all grades are selling 

 well, immediately on arrival, but there is little 

 demand for quartered. 



Black walnut In boards and planks would sell 

 well and at good prices, but there is little offer- 

 ing. Prime logs fit for veneers are wanted. 



There is very little stock of satin walnut and 

 what there is does not move quickly. 



There is at present a good demand for hickory 

 and ash, in logs and planks. 



Mahogany is still the leading wood and com- 

 mands full prices. This wood seems to be in 

 greater request than ever before among the manu- 

 facturers. 



Cedar is scarce and good prices are being paid 

 for parcels of rather inferior quality. 



London. 



The market is still dull and likely to remain so 

 for the next fortnight, fhe higher prices asked 

 for all lumber not tempting buyers to contract 

 for stock whilst the demand is so inactive. Most 

 of the lumber recently arrived has been sold on 

 the quays, but not at prices that are likely to 

 tempt shipments. 



I'rime stocks of one-inch and under dressed 

 wliitewood are wanted, there being very little 

 stock left in the docks. Culls are also In fair 

 demand. 



Liverpool. 



Trade in Ibis market is undoubtedly better 

 than it has been tor some months past, and prices 

 have been advanced. Shippers should, however, 

 have orders before shipping, and on no account 

 should they ship on consignment. 



Ash planks and logs are in good request and 

 prime white oak planks, especially lV2-inch and 

 3-inch, should bring fair prices, which many 

 importers on this side think are now at the top. 

 Plain oak planks are very scarce and prices for 

 prime wood havf' advanced during the last few 

 months. 



Hickory is not quite so good as a fortnight 

 ago ; the heavy import of logs has rather filled 

 up the consumers here for the present, and im- 

 porters have difflculty in disposing of this wood 

 at remunerative prices. 



Quartered oak boards find quick sale and all 

 the imports are going into consumption. At the 

 last sales held at the end of last month nearly 

 2,000,000 feet of mahogany was disposed of and 

 only 700 logs were withdrawn. It is reported 

 that these were all disposed of privately. 



American buyers would do well to cover their 

 requirements well ahead, as there is an increas- 

 ing demand for this wood in Great Britain. 



Good board and panel logs are in great re- 

 quest and at the last sales could have been made 

 ten times over. The first shipments of birch are 

 being rapidly snapped up, but shippers seem to 

 be showing a tendency to meet buyers, while 

 maple of good sizes is also in good request. 



Shippers should bear in mind that only plain 

 rock maple sliould be shipped ; wood with the 

 half ■•bird's eye" is absolutely unsalable. Manu- 

 facturers of oak and ash dimension stock could 

 obtain large and profitable orders if they would 

 guarantee prompt delivery. 



.Johu II. Burrell & Co.'s wood circular makes 

 the following report regarding American hard- 

 woods in tlie Liverpool market : 



Round ash logs have again come forward in 

 considerable quantities, principally on contract; 

 the demand for ash lumber is not quite so active 

 and values are somewhat easier. Prime parcels 

 of good to large black walnut logs continue to 

 command favorable attention, but small and 

 faulty wood is very much ueglected ; supplies of 

 the lumber have continued to arrive in excess of 

 the demand and prices have further declined. 

 Arrivals of hickory logs still continue in excess 

 of the requirements and prices are falling ; ship- 

 ments should be curtailed until fall. Oak cabi- 

 net planks of prime quality and suitable speci- 

 ficatiuns meet with ready sale at good prices; 

 oak coffin planks are still arriving plentifully 

 and values are therefore weak ; oak wagon 

 planks have not been coming in as freely 

 as last month, and as the stock is light 

 and demand good the market is still in an en- 

 couraging position (or prime shipments of good 

 and suitable specifications. The demand for pop- 

 lar logs is confined to large timber of prime 

 quality ; the supply of all descriptions of poplar 

 lumber is still in excess of the demand. Inquiry 

 for good, well-conditioned shipments of prime 

 quality satin walnut lumber is moderate. Ar- 

 rivals of staves have been moderate, but prices 

 are easy. 



