Publifthed in the Interest of Hardwood Lumber, American Hardw^ood Forests. Wood Veneer Industry, Hard'wood Flooring, 

 Hard^vood Interior Finish. Wood Chemicals, Saw Mill and WoodworKing Machinery. 



Vol. XXII. 



CHICAGO, MAY 10, 1906. 



No. 2. 



Published on the 10th and 25th of each month hy 



THE HARDWOOD COMPANY 



Henry H. Gibson, President 



Frank W. TUTTLE, Sec-Treas. 



OFFICES 

 Sixth Floor Ellsworth Bldg., 355 Dearborn St Chicago, 111., U.S.A. 



Telephones: Harrison 4960 Automatic 5659 



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The entire contents of this publication are covered by the general copy- 

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General Market Conditions. 



The particular feature of the last fortnight was an increase 

 in the demand for nearly every variety of hardwood. Buyers 

 have come to realize that hardwood stocks are very short in 

 all sections, and that to carry on manufacturing enterprises in house 

 finish, furniture, ear building and other lines requiring large quan- 

 tities of wood, immediate buying is essential. Prices are not 

 standing in the way of many purehase.s — it is simply a question of 

 the delivery of stock. 



There is much trading going on between both manufacturens and 

 jobbers to eke out stock enough to take care of current business. 



Plain oak is still in the highest demand of any of the woods, 

 although poplar, chestnut, ash, the box end of cottonwood and many 

 other varieties of both southern and northern hardwoods are in 

 almost equal request. 



Substitutions are going on in every channel where it is possible to 

 utilize a new wood for those which have been standard in the past. 

 Thus there has become active buying in a much neglected wood, 

 hackberry, as a substitute for ash ; pecan is taking the place of 

 hickory in many instances, and both red and tupelo gum are increas- 

 ing in demand and in breadth of distribution, as substitutes for 

 poplar and even for oak. 



Foreign buyers have commenced to awaken to the fact that the 

 shortage of hardwood stocks is not a ' ' Yankee bugbear, ' ' but 

 actually exists. One London trade paper of the last week says that 

 the buyers of Great Britain must awaken to the fact that American 

 hardwoods are actually in very short supply and that prices will 

 range higher. The same paper is fearful that the necessity of imme- 

 diately rebuilding San Francisco will make such tremendous inroads 

 on the yellow pine of the South as to preclude the possibility of 

 normal receipts on -the other side. Of course this is all nonsense, as 

 the Pacific coast has ample wood supplies to take care of the rebuild- 

 ing of the devastated city. 



The veneer and panel business is growing apace, and although 

 producers of this class of stock do not yet seem to realize its value, 

 and are surely selling the product for much less than it is worth, it 

 is hoped that the tentative eff^orts toward organization will eventually 



stimulate values to a point approximately relative to prices being 

 received for hardwood lumber. Prices asked for veneer and panel 

 stock today make it impractical for manufacturers of lumber to 

 compete with the product. Comparatively few veneer makers have a 

 reputation of making any considerable profit on their investments, 

 and the sooner they awake to the fact that they are selling their 

 output for less than they need the better. 



The hardwood flooring people manufacturing oak, maple, birch 

 and beech are all extremely busy. Prospective demand for this class 

 of material in rebuilding San Francisco is excellent, and undeniably 

 prices will range higher. 



Owing to the scarcity and high price of oak and other high-class 

 American woods, the mahogany market is showing considerable 

 strength and the volume of sales is increasing. This is as it should 

 be, because in relative value mahogany still remains the lowest- 

 priced wood on the mai'ket today. 



Black walnut and cherry are still pursuing the even tenor of their 

 way. Prices are comparatively low, and the demand is only mod- 

 erate. 



Falling Out Among the Foresters. 



Apropos of nothing, there is a legend that when certain people 

 fall out the devil gets his due. There is war in the camp of the 

 foresters of the country. The head of the Forest Service of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture is having the phials of the 

 wrath of certain factions in the forestry game poured out upon his 

 devoted head. This Forest Service, which was originally supposed 

 to be a division of forestry pure and simple, of the Department of 

 Agriculture, has, during the last few j'cars, branched out into a 

 great many enterprises that are considered by many to be entirely 

 removed from its original sphere. 



The administration department of this service includes a forester 

 and assistant forester; an assistant forester in charge of forest 

 management; an assistant forester in charge of dendrology; an 

 assistant forester in charge of forest products; an assistant forester 

 in charge of forest extension; a special fiscal agent; a represent;(tive 

 in charge of records; one in charge of the section of publication and 

 education; one in charge of section of law; one in charge of section 

 of grazing; one in charge of section of silvies; one in charge of 

 section of reserve boundaries; a forest inspector detailed as district 

 forester in the eastern district; another in the southern district; and 

 still another in the northern district. In field work in connection 

 with the office of forester there is a corps of ten; in forest manage- 

 ment there is a corps of twelve; in forest products a corps of two; 

 and in forest extension one. 



This is but the beginning of the long list of representatives of the 

 Forest Service to whom certain lines of work in connection with a 

 great many things other than the rebuilding of the forests of the 

 country are entrusted. 



It is alleged that the Forest Service of the country cost Uncle 

 Sam last year approximately .$900,000, and the sum is so great that 

 many people interested in legitimate forest problems of an inquiring 

 turn of mind are beginning to ask if this money is being well ex- 

 jiendcd. They are also asking pertinent questions about practical 

 measures toward rehabilitating our forests, and generally they are 

 making matters decidedly interesting for the chief of the Forest 

 Service. 



