HARDWOOD RECORD 



31 



future requirements, which has imparted a some- 

 what uncertain tone to the market. The neces- 

 sities of the trade, of course, continue to be 

 large. Builders and other consumers must draw 

 on the available supplies to a much greater ex- 

 tent than has been the case for some seasons, 

 and the mills are having as many calls as they 

 can well All, though favorable weather condi- 

 tions have served to augment their productive- 

 ness. Competiton at manufacturing points is 

 comparatively active, and the producers insist 

 upon getting full list prices, but there appear 

 to be indications that the upward tendency 

 In the quotations has been arrested and that a 

 further advance is not likely to be made. As 

 yet, however, there has been no diminution in 

 the movement, and the entire list of hardwoods 

 is active, with oak in the lead, and ash, chest- 

 nut, birch, cherry and other woods following. 

 Walnut is still an important factor in the 

 domestic trade, and mahogany is being used in 

 relatively large quantities. Poplar retains its 

 hold on the trade, and brings prices that stim- 

 ulate the mill men to do their utmost in get- 

 ling out stocks. 



The export business is quiet, with the move- 

 ment quite up to the average. There is no es-, 

 pecial snap in the demand, though lumber and 

 logs appear to be bringing better prices than 

 was the case some months ago. 



Pittsburg. 



Pittsburg firms which make a specialty of 

 hardwoods have reason to feel jubilant over 

 the present conditions. At no time in the 

 past two years has the market for hardwoods 

 been better than now. This is the more notice- 

 able because the lumber market in general is 

 slightly in the dumps, due partly to the fact 

 that "tighter money" has undoubtedly called off 

 some projects, building and industrial, and 

 partly to the carpenters' and structural steel 

 erectors' strikes. 



Oak is selling better to-day than any other 

 wood in the Pittslnirg market. Prices are 

 creeping up slowly on all grades, including hill 

 stuff, which has remained stationary for a long 

 time. It is a question of getting stocks of oak. 

 not customers. 



The other hardwoods are showing up well. 

 Maple is selling in good quantities and at satis- 

 factory prices. Chestnut is not quite so active 

 as two months ago, but sound wormy is find- 

 ing a good market in the Rast. The hub fac- 

 tories are taking a considerable amount of elm. 

 and the spoke and handle factories throughout 

 Ohio are making good demands on the Pittsburg 

 trade for hickory and asli. 



Prices of hardwoods remain very firm, and 

 there is no reason to expect a drop in quota- 

 tions along any line. From present indications 

 dealers have reason to believe that the market 

 for heavy timbers, ties and poles will be very 

 active as the summer advances, as many proj- 

 ects which will involve a large expenditure of 

 money are just being shaped up for contractors. 



Buffalo. 



The former activity in hardwood lumber con- 

 tinues and the trade is very busy getting stock to 

 make up for the drain on their yards. As a rule 

 most woods command a better price than last 

 year, as they should, if only to meet the in- 

 creased price of logs and the generally larger 

 expense of business caused by the difficulty of 

 getting new stock. One reason that hardwood 

 lumber is now taking the lead in activity is that 

 pine, both white and yellow, is often as much 

 as $15 higher in the upper grades than it was 

 two years ago and hardwoods have not gone up 

 anything like that amount. The East is not 

 paying the fancy prices asked for lumber as 

 readily as the West is said to be, and It was 

 reported a few days ago that one reason that 

 basswood is not yet doing much in this market, 

 after being laid aside some years, is that dealers 

 are still afraid of the mill prices. Elm is also 

 rather slow, largely on account of the mill prices 



being too high for this market, but the demand 

 for chestnut and all sorts of ash is much greater 

 than the supply. Oak is doing well, but is 

 very hard to get. Quartered is selling better 

 than formerly, though its substitute, birch, seems 

 to be coming in fairly well. There is a good 

 movement of maple, with prospect of a better 

 prulit in it than formerly. Some dealers are 

 making quite a specialty of it again, and where 

 sorting is made an expert business, with refer- 

 ence to special customers, the trade is a good 

 one by itself, despite the old idea that maple 

 is always a cheap wood, selling at small profit. 

 It is no longer plentiful. 



There has been much uneasiness on the part 

 of hardwood dealers on account of the reports 

 from yards showing a steady reduction of stocks, 

 so that it was feared that midsummer would 

 see the assortments badly broken, but the search 

 for new lumber has been carried on with so 

 much vigor of late that the drain is not so 

 great as was feared. 



Saginaw Valley. 



The local market for hardwood material is 

 in good form, both in the matter of stock, 

 prices and volume of business. Xo difliculty is 

 experienced in disposing of any kind of lumber, 

 cull being particularly active by reason of the 

 high prices of pine. Box men are thus using 

 substitutes and basswood and maple culls are 

 bringing a good price. Some manufacturing 

 firms have contracted all their culls for the 

 season. They are to be converted into box 

 shocks. 



The maple flooring trade is much better than 

 last year. In this market elm is doing much 

 better than last year. Ash is a quick seller. 

 There W'ill be quite a bunch of ash handled in 

 this market this season. Not a great deal of 

 birch finds its way to the mills in this sec- 

 tion. 



Grand Rapids. 



The hardw'ood situation has improved here 

 and most dealers are reporting a reasonably ac- 

 tive market. Some dealers are asking for an ad- 

 vanced price for birch, which is the dullest wood 

 in the market at the present time, and they be- 

 lieve that birch will move. The mills are 

 cutting lots of maple, but dry four-quarter stock 

 at this time is picked up clean. Plain oak con- 

 tinues to bring better prices relatively than quar- 

 tered oak. Furniture lumber continues in good 

 demand at firm prices. 



Bristol, Va-Tenn. 



Conditions in the hardwood trade in this sec- 

 tion are eminently satisfactory. The increase in 

 business within the past few months has been 

 phenomenal. 'J'he great activity displayed in the 

 manufacture of lumber in this reigon is unprece- 

 dented : during the past few weeks numerous 

 new mills have been erected and others are start- 

 ing up almost daily. It is estimated that at 

 least 30 per cent more lumber is being shipped 

 from tills section this year than last and the 

 lumbermen believe 1906 will be a record breaker 

 for heavy sales. The car supply is not entirely 

 satisfactory. There is still some complaint heard 

 that cars cannot be secured promptly enough. 



Cincinnati. 



The demand for hardwoods is slowing up. That 

 seems to be the general opinion of local dealers 

 and manufacturers, although here and there re- 

 ports are given that the demand is still as good 

 as it was a month ago. However, those firms 

 which have not yet experienced a let-up in their 

 business acknowledge that there is almost bound 

 to be a curtailment in business due to the ap- 

 proach of summer. 



There is a universal cry among lumbermen for 

 dry stocks. Ueceipts are increasing and it is 

 likely that in a short time suitable supplies will 

 be in the yards, providing the receipts continue 

 on the same scale as during the past fortnight 



and the demand does not take on a sudden spurt. 

 Prices are quite firm but it is a question how 

 long they will remain so. Well posted men In 

 the trade believe that the next move in prices 

 will be downward, but they do not care to opine 

 when such a movement will begin. It is a cer- 

 tainty, though, that plain oak will hold its own 

 for a long time. Offerings are being taken with 

 avidity and full prices are being paid wMthout 

 hesitation. Quartered oak is quieting down, al- 

 though some highly satisfactory orders are still 

 being placed. Asli and cypress continue in lim- 

 ited supply and relatively fair request with the 

 result that the market, so far as prices are con- 

 cerned, may be said to be taking care of itself 

 nicely. The volume of business in chestnut has 

 grown smaller, but stocks have not increased 

 to such an extent that a decline in quotations is 

 likely. Cottonwood supplies are adequate to the 

 occasion and no change in prices has been made. 

 Box boards are rather scarce. Red gum firsts 

 and seconds rule steady with a fair call and not 

 excessive stocks. All grades of poplar are firm, 

 with the lower grades having a better sale than 

 the uppei:. 



Chattanooga. 



The lumber market continues active in this 

 section, with the possible exception of middle 

 grade poplar and quartered oak. The demand 

 for these grades of stock has been a little easy 

 in the last two or three weeks. Prices continue 

 firm, with prospects of advance rather than 

 otherwise. There are now more inquiries with 

 a smaller supply of stocks to meet them than has 

 been know'n in several years. 



The cut of the local mills will run far short 

 of that of last year. This is due to the fact 

 that the tides in the river have been low and 

 probably only about three-fourths of the usual 

 amount of logs have come down the Tennessee 

 river. The river mills have received about 1,- 



lO.dOo feet of logs within the past two weeks, 

 l)ut another tide can hardly be expected before 

 the fall rains. The indications are that the 

 river mills will be compelled to shut down eariy 

 in the summer, on account of the scarcity of 

 logs. 



Nashville. 

 Conditious in the local market remain un- 

 changed. Good prices are being received for all 

 kinds of hardwoods and business is brisk. For- 

 eign orders are lively, and building operations 

 which seem ever on the increase in Nashville 

 keep mill men and woodworking plants busy. 

 The Nashville wagon makers are scooping up all 

 the ash they can find and dry stock is hard to 

 get at any price. Plain oak, always a leader, 

 remains firm. The price, in fact, is high, but 

 there are always plenty of takers for dry stock 

 on the market. There is also a better demand 

 for quartered oak. Dry poplar is reported 

 scarce, and there is a good demand even for the 

 inferior grades. Black locust, extensively used 

 for interior finish, continues in active demand. 

 Beech is now forging to the front locally, as 

 flooring material, and is proving most satisfac- 

 tory for this purpose. There is some cedar 

 coming in. but it is always in great demand 

 and is bringing fancy prices. 



Memphis. 



There is a very good demand for hardwood 

 lumber of all kinds, with the exception of 

 quarter-sawed red oak, and those who have dry 

 stock to offer are having little or no ditficulty 

 in disposing of it. Prices are admittedly rather 

 high and there is apparent disposition in some 

 quarters to buy onl.v for immediate require- 

 ments. Lumbermen here, however, are confident 

 that trade conditions will continue healthy and 

 that prices will recede little if any until there 

 has been some restoration of more normal rela- 

 tions between supply and demand. Stocks are 

 still much broken and the process of replenish- 

 ment is slow because shipments are practically 

 as large as local arrivals. 



