flaMwoi RocoM 



Published lr\ the Interest of Hardwood Lumber, ArrvericOLii Ha.rdwood Forests. Wood Veneer Industry, H&rdwood Flooring, 

 Ha.rdwood Interior Finish, Wood Chemlco-ls, Sa.w Mill a.nd Woodworking Ma^chlrxery. 



LIBRA 



OAKt 



Vol. XXIX. 



CHICAGO, OCTOBER 25, 1909. 



No. 1. 



Published on the lOtH and 25th of each month by 



THE HARDWOOD COMPANY 



HENRY H. GIBSON, Editor. 



EDGAR H. DEFEBAUGH, Moongcr. 



6th Floor, Ellsworth Bldg., 355 Dearborn St., Chicago, 111. 

 Telephones Harrison 8086-8087-8088 



Eastern Territory - 

 Northern Territory 



REPRESENT.4TIVES 



Jacob Holtzman, 916 Rothschild Bids., Philadelphia. Pa. 

 - C. F. Dedekam. 35S Dearborn St., Chicago 



TERMS OF ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION 



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Subscriptions are payable in advance, and in default o( written orders to the 

 contrary are continued at our option. 



Entered as second class matter May 26, 1902. at the Postoffice at Chicago, 

 III , under act of March 3, 1879. 



Advertising copy must be received five d&ys Irv aLdva.rvce of 

 pubIlca.tlorv dfeLie. Advertlslnn r&tes on aLppllce.tlon. 



COMING ASSOCIATION MEETING 

 MICHIGAN HARDWOOD MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION. 



The fall meeting of the Michigan Hardwood Manufactur- 

 ers' A.ssociation will be held at the Ponchartrain Hotel, 

 Detroit, Mich.. Thursday, October 28, at 10 a. m. Members 

 are urged to be present or to send some one to represent 

 their interests, as a number of subjects of importance will 

 be brought up for consideration. 



CHAS. A. BIGELOW, J. C. KNOX, 



President. Secretai-y. 



General Market Conditions 



The treiiil of the hardwood market at al) points of cousumptiou 

 throughout the country is healthy, and streugth in values seems 

 to be gaining every daj". The situation is especially good in the 

 Chicago market, where practically every variety of hardwood is in 

 fair to strong call. Improved sales conditions are reported from St. 

 Louis, Memphis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburg, Buffalo and the 

 Atlantic Coast cities, although increasing strength is not developing 

 as fast in the extreme East as it is in the middle West and West. 



Specifically, perhaps quartered and plain red oak has the strong- 

 est call and is showing the greatest advance in price. 



Quartered white oak is also remarkably strong, but the high price 

 of plain white seems to be militating somewhat against an increased 

 demand, as manj- former users of large quantities of the plain 

 white variety are now substituting other woods for it. This is 

 especially noticeable in the furniture trade, where birch and gum 

 are being utilized at the expense of the higher priced oak. 



Of the northern Avoods, the better grade-s of both birch and maple 

 are in excellent request with gradually increasing values. The 

 lower grades are holding their own. Basswood is not in as urgent 



call as the other two northern woods named, but still is in fair 

 demand. Both black and white ash and rock elm are, on the whole, 

 rather sluggish. The old-time users of these woods have transferred 

 their affections elsewhere, owing to the short supply, and while the 

 demand will doubtless consume the present output, "there is no par- 

 ticular reason for believing that the prices of either of these woods 

 will materially advance. 



Red gum is doing better, which is far from well enough, and there 

 is every prospect of a largely increased demand for this excellent 

 material. 



Choice poplar in high grades and good widths is a commodity 

 that the seller needs practically, but for which he asks his own 

 price. It is in demand for automobile bodies and other high-class 

 purposes beyond the quantity that can possibly be supplied. Com- 

 mon poplar is doing very well and there is a reasonable sale for 

 No. 3. Wide, high-grade cottonwood is in excellent request and the 

 common and lower grades are moving with apparent freedom. 



The woods in minor supply, like sycamore, cherry and black 

 wahiut, are showing a steady market with no particular change 

 in price. 



There is little that can be said about hickory. It is not in any 

 particular request except for the handle and carriage trades, 

 and prices are not advancing as markedly as it was expected they 

 would. 



The situation on both northern and southern beech is feature- 

 less. There is some trade in the wood, but it is not marked by any 

 particular strength. 



Firsts and seconds chestnut is in good request in the East, where 

 it is highly esteemed as a finishing material. There is very little 

 sale or demand for it in the middle West. Sound wormy and the 

 common grades are having increased demand with strengthening 

 prices. 



Elm, both the grey elm of the North and the southern varieties, 

 is in fair demand and the market shows a little increase in strength. 



The mahogany and other foreign woods people report a very fair 

 demand, but with very little increase in the range of values. As 

 a matter of fact, both the English and American markets liave been 

 largely overloaded with fancy woods for more thau a year. 



The hardwood flooring people, both in oak and maple, are very 

 busy; in fact, some factories are obliged to turn down orders for 

 some grades of stock, as their capacity is completely sold up for 

 sixty days to come. 



There is an increased call for dimension stock, especially in ouk, 

 and it is thought that this trade will be very largely developed 

 during the year. There is a fair call for dimension stock in sundry 

 items of northern and southern woods, but oak is the principal one 

 demanded. 



The veneer and panel people are busy, but are still working on a 

 low schedule of prices. 



With the exceptions noted, there are no boom needs in any item 

 of lumber stock, but a healthy demand with every evidence of a 

 gradual increase in values in many items, while others are holding 

 their own. On the whole, the situation is the Viest that it has been 

 for more than two years. 



