32 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Conditions affecting production now show 

 some improvement. Tliere has been very little 

 rain in lumber producing territory lately, and 

 the weather has been fine, so that reports from 

 the interior suggest that there is a decided in- 

 crease in the amount of stock going on sticks. 

 However, this will not tend to relieve the situa- 

 tion materially because of the long period re- 

 quired for drying. 



Ash is still in active request, in fact, as good 

 as it has been at any time this season ; there is 

 a decided shortage in the supply of dry stock. 

 AH grades are wanted. 



The demand for cypress shows no let up and 

 prices are firmly held. Cypress mills are pro- 

 ducing more lumber now than for some time, 

 but the shipments are on so large a scale as to 

 prevent much recuperation in holdings. High 

 grades sell rather better than low. but there Is 

 no lagging anywhere. 



The demand for Cottonwood in all grades is 

 splendid, while stocks are considerably below 

 the average for this time of year. The amount 

 of timber cut this .season is decidedly short, and 

 this points toward a light supply. The receipts 

 of Cottonwood timber here as a result of the 

 recent rise in the Mississippi show a marked 

 falling off compared with the average and this 

 of Itself is accepted as a strengthening factor. 

 No. 1 and No. 2 box common are in exception- 

 ally good request. 



Gum is steady at prevailing quotations. There 

 is no surplus of well-handled stock. There is a 

 particularly good call for % to 1-lnch red 

 firsts and seconds and clear saps for export 

 trade, while the domestic market is taking care 

 of all the low grade stock. 



There is still a pronounced demand for plain- 

 sawed white oak. which is selling at good prices, 

 but there is a falling off in some directions on 

 plain-sawed red. with prices possibly a shade 

 easier than heretofore. Quarter-sawed white is 

 moving fairly well, but there is not much de- 

 mand for quarter-sawed red, but as there is no 

 great amount of the latter available manufactur- 

 ers are asking pretty full prices therefiir. 



The poplar situation appears to be wiilmut 

 special change during the past fortnlghl. The 

 amount of this available in this nuuket Is 

 somewhat limited and prices are firmly lielrl. 



AsMand, Ky. 



Conditions are good, prices firm and stocks 

 selling as fast as they are dry enough to ship. 



The biggest run of the season is on in the 

 Big Sandy, Levlna and Tug rivers, and all the 

 creeks except Shelby have strong tides. Three 

 hundred fine rafts have been brought out of the 

 mouth of the Sandy. The Guyandotte river has 

 also sent out large quantities of timber in the re- 

 cent rise, twenty-live or thirty rafts, and loose 

 logs enough to give the Guyandotte valley timber 

 men work for several weeks. This output of tim- 

 ber has been a rich harvest for the timber men 

 who brought it out for the market, as they were 

 able to secure higher prices for poplar than have 

 been paid for some seasons, some timber selling 

 as high as ijo cents per cubic foot, which would 

 mea'n about S3,i.50 per thousand feet board 

 measure in the log. 



At the present market price of timber, mill 

 men must liave a fair price for their poplar 

 lumber or they would not come out even. There 

 is no difficulty in finding a ready market for all 

 poplar lumber. The river mill men are expecting 

 the usual June rise, and are looking for another 

 log tide that will enable them to keep their mills 

 running. 



Louisville. 



The poplar situation sfiil coutinues to be the 

 feature of the Louisville market. The demand 

 for that wood is exceptionally active, with the 

 supply of dry stock very scarce. Other hard- 

 woods are also in strong demand, prices are 

 satisfactory generally and on the whole condi- 

 tions are favoi-able. Pevel siding finds a par- 

 ticularly brisk demand, with the supply in sight 



rather limited. The recent awakening in the 

 call for No. 1 Common still keeps up. In fact, 

 everytuing made of poplar is in good demand, 

 with prices going up until veneer men and 

 some others who have been using it in what is 

 termed cheaper work are turning from it to 

 gum. 



The demand for plain oak, ash and chestnut 

 continues good, with nothing in sight to mar 

 the outlook. In the wagon and Implement lines 

 there is an excellent demand for finished wood 

 work. The only thing that worries manufac- 

 turers is to get the raw material. Hickory is 

 especially scarce and in strong demand. The 

 factories have cleaned up their yards pretty 

 close on both hickory and oak. As the coun- 

 try roads are better now tjaere are hopes of in- 

 creasing supplies soon. 



Toledo. 



The tone of the hardwood market is liealthy. 

 Local dealers claim there is plenty of trade at 

 firm prices. Some dealers complain of a scarc- 

 ity of stocks, others seem to have ample sup- 

 plies to meet the demand, which is strong at 

 the present time. This varying opinion in all 

 probability is due to the fact that those who 

 now have pretty good stocks put in good sup- 

 plies last fall, while the others did not. 



Maple flooring is in brisk demand. Prices on 

 maple lumber are strong. Oak and poplar are 

 rather scane, and prices are disposed to advance. 



The present activity in building is an im- 

 portant factor in the hardwood trade. The 

 records at the office of the city building inspector 

 show that since the first of the year over 500 

 permits, with a valuation of about .$2,000,000, 

 have been issued. 



F. S. Belcher, of the Relcher-Stiue Lumber 

 Company, will leave next week to look after his 

 interests in Oregon, having a mill at Fall City. 

 G. B. Stine has removed to Little Rock to re- 

 main there until the first of next year. 



Minneapolis. 



Stocks of hanlwoud in the Northwest are 

 about cleaned uj). With the exception of birch 

 and basswood, dry hardwood is nearly out of 

 the market. Local dealers are practically out 

 of elm, ash and northern oak, and prices have 

 fallen a decided jump upward, especially on 

 rock elm and ash. There is no stock to be had 

 in any quantity, and the new cut will not be 

 ready for some time. A little new basswood is 

 coming on the market, and is meeting with a 

 good sale. Box manufacturers have their eyes 

 on basswood culls and will buy as soon as luey 

 find the stock. Birch culls are well sold out 

 and at good prices. There are some good-sized 

 stocks of birch left in the upper grades, but they 

 are moving rapidly. The factory trade is not 

 taking much but birch, which is used for doors, 

 mill work and finish. 



Southern oak is moving more freely as the 

 factories have emerged from the spring Hoods, 

 but the mills are drawing on light stocks, and 

 prices have advanced. Plain oak uppers are 

 selling readily at good prices. There is no 

 northern stock left in inch lumber, and the 

 limbers and planking are disappearing fast. 

 Maple lumber and flooring are enjoying a ready 

 sale. The country yards, however, are not now 

 in the market to any extent. 



Everything indicates a good cut of northern 

 hardwood this year, but the prospect is good 

 for a stiff demand and continued strong prices. 

 Considerable hardwood is being sold by the mills 

 in advance of production. 



Rhinelander, Wis. 



The hardwood trade is siiowing improvement, 

 and shipments this month will be larger than 

 they were in April, when the winter rush was 

 about over. A great many contracts were i>laced 

 at that time, and as new stock is now getting 

 into shipping condition, it is going forward on 

 these contracts. The best selling items are 

 probably Nos. 1 and 2 Common basswood. and 



No. 3 Common birch. Last year, at this time, 

 these items were slow sellers, especially No. 1 

 Common basswood. Jlixed Nos. 2 and 3 bass- 

 wood and No. 3 Common birch, sell to the box 

 factories, and the demand will take all the avail- 

 able supply. The grain door trade is also good, 

 and takes No. 3 birch, many mills shipping all 

 their 6 and 12 foot stock to the railroad supply 

 departments for grain doors, cutting the 12 foot 

 in two. Other mills make the doors up com- 

 plete and claim they are getting about $12 per 

 thousand feet out of the lumber. Trade this 

 year emphasized the statement often made that 

 one-third of our lumber goes Into boxes and 

 crating. 



The upper grades of birch and basswood are 

 selliu" fairly well, the planing mills and sash 

 and door factories calling for them to a con- 

 siderable extent. San Francisco is taking some 

 birch and hard maple. Hard maple is improv- 

 ing in demand, and dry stocks are low, so that 

 customers will have to take a good deal of 

 winter-sawed stock, which is now dry enough 

 to go into the kilns. Soft elm has also been 

 selling better this year than last, and at bet- 

 ter prices. The amount of soft elm on hand is 

 not large and it will all be needed during the 



year. 



Liverpool. 



Trade during the last fortnight seems to have 

 dr^l^ed off considerably. High prices have un- 

 ilouhtedly frightened off buyers, who seem to 

 think that the proper game to play is "buy from 

 hand to mouth" ; prices cannot go any higher and 

 may go lower. However, prevailing opinion 

 seems to be that it is highly probable that they 

 will advance. Recently in trying to sell a car- 

 load of ash planks to a buyer who was known 

 to be out of the stock and would be wanting 

 some within the next few weeks, although he 

 was asked only a slight advance over last year's 

 price and acknowledged that he could not buy 

 lower, he said he would not buy at present 

 prices, but would wait until they were lower. 

 It is more than probable that lie will have to 

 buy when prices are higher. 



All mahogany bought at the last sales has 

 been rapidly cleared away and yards are very 

 empty. Undoubtedly at the next sales to be 

 held at the end of the month a sharp advance 

 will be made on this wood. 



.\sh and oak continue firm and good parcels 

 are (piickly snapped up. This apparently will 

 Clint inue, but shippers should beware of sending 

 consignments which will only have one result — 

 weakening of prices. Hickory is better, the re- 

 sult of a smaller import being that brokers here 

 can easily place all desirable stock. Birch is 



still weak. 



London. 



The hardwood market does not yet show any 

 great signs of activity, demand for stock prin- 

 cipally being met by parcels that have been 

 stored In the docks for some months past. The 

 arrivals are light, but strange to say, although 

 the general demand and the prices for lumber 

 in the States are so strong, some shippers are 

 still sending consignments which are difficult to 

 dispose of, in many cases, at the f. o. b. value. 

 While parcels which happen to be wanted real- 

 ize full prices. Several large sliipments of lum- 

 ber are expected in June and considering that 

 dock stocks are not heavy, will be needed, but 

 buyers are in no humor to buy what they do 

 uot want, as they say there will be plenty of 

 consignment parcels later on. Oak planks, 3 

 and 4 inch, are in good demand at full prices ; 

 boards "are not plentiful, but there is sufficient 

 to meet the demand. 



Whitewood boards are in steady request : 

 planks, which have been inactive for some time 

 past, are in slightly better demand. Ash and 

 hickory planks are doing well ; arrivals are 

 light. 



Mahogany is still eagerly sought after at 

 high prices, and arrivals are not too heavy for 

 the (Ipuiaud. 



