HARDWOOD RECORD 



29 



tion from the Atlantic ocean to the Rocky 

 mountains. It is probable that the total cut 

 of white pine since ISTO has been not less than 

 2j0.uuu,000,000 feet. 



White Fixe 



White pine hiniber manufacturers began in New 

 England, moved across New York and Pennsyl- 

 vania to the lake states and now the center of 

 nroduction is again swinging eastward. The 

 lake states produced almost S.OUO.000,000 feet 

 of white pine in 1SS4, and reached a maximum 

 of more than 8,500,000,000 feet in 1892. In 

 1900 the output in the lake states had fallen 

 to 6 000.000,00(1 feet, and in 1908 it was but 

 1,750,000.000 feet. Then Michigan, supreme for 

 many vears. had fallen to sixth place, and Wis- 

 consin." which succeeded her. dropped behind, 

 leavini; Minnesota in the lead. New Hampshire 

 and .Maine each cut more white pine lumber in 

 T.IOS than thev cut in 1900, giving these states 

 third and fourth rank, respectively, and even 

 Massachusetts and New York produced nearly as 

 much white pine lumber in 1908 as in the earlier 

 year. The virgin pine timber of the lake states 

 IS nearly gone. The second and third growth 

 of the northeastern states, small and knotty 

 though it be, is coming on the market to make 

 many a box and crate. 



Yellow Pixe 



There has been a westward movement in yel- 

 low pine production similar to that in white 

 pine. Beginning along the Atlantic coast in the 

 northeastern part of the yellow pine belt. Georgia 

 held first rank in 1900, Texas second. North 

 Carolina third and Louisiana seventh. A quick 

 shift, came, however, through the rapid exploita- 

 tion of the western part of the yellow pine ter- 

 ritory, and by 1904 Louisiana attained first 

 rank, which position it has since held undis- 

 puted. Texas is still in second place, while 

 Mississippi has advanced to third place, Georgia 

 has dropped to sixth and North Carolina to 

 seventh place. Since 1880 at least 150,000.000.- 

 000 feet of yellow pine lumber has been put upon 

 the market. The cut of 13,000,000,000 feet in 

 1907 is the largest annual output yet reported. 

 But the capacity of the yellow pine mills is so 

 great that this total may be surpassed in any 

 year in the near future which offers good mar- 

 ket conditions. While the center of production 

 undoubtedly will be in the West for some time. 

 it does not seem improbable that with the ex- 

 haustion of the virgin stumpage in that region 

 the utilization of the rapid growing loblolly pine 

 of the Carolinas and Vlrguiia eventually will 

 bring those states again into greater prominence 

 as second growth white pine has done for New 

 England. 



Oak 



The cut of oak in 1900. 4,4.38,000,000 feet, 

 was the largest yet recorded, and doubtless it 

 will never be equalled in the future. The out- 

 put in 1908 was but little more than three-fifths 

 of the production in 1900. In 1900 Indiana was 

 first in oak production, with nearly four times 



the cut reported in 190S, and Ohio was second, 

 with a cut almost three times as great as eight 

 years later. Even Kentucky and West Virginia, 

 which advanced from fourth and fifth place in 

 1900 to first and second place in 1908, fell off in 

 total output. Small increases have occurred in 

 Misouri, Mississippi, Virginia and North Caro- 

 lina, but these have been too slight to retard 

 greatly the downward sweep of tlie curve. 



HE-MLOCE 



Hemlock, our fifth wooa in point of total 

 lumber production, has also passed its maximum. 

 In 1908 the output was but three-fourths as 

 large as in 1900. In 190S Wisconsin displaced 

 I'ennsylvania. and ranked first in hemlock cut 

 for the first time. Pennsylvania, which as long 

 as memory runs, had been the leading hemlock 

 state, produced but 36 per cent as much hem- 

 lock lumber in 1908 as it cut in 1900. The day 

 of hemlock is surely passing, for there is no rapid 

 second growth coming on partially to fill the gap 

 made bv the exhaustion of the virgin timber. 

 Hemlock lumber of more than the immediate 

 future will be chiefly the western hemlock of 

 Oregon and Washington, where there is much 

 stumpage that so far has been but little drawn 

 upon. 



Pkices 



Quotations of lumber prices are of but little 

 value unless we know the grades to which they 

 apply, cost of production, market conditions, etc. 

 The "best statement that can be made in a brief 

 paper like this is to quote the census figures 

 upon the average mill value of all grades of 

 each kind of lumber since 1900. These are given 

 in Table 2. The order is that of the highest 

 value in 1908. This puts walnut first, with 

 .S42.o3 a thousand, and white fir last, with $11.38 

 a thousand. 



Prices of lumber like prices of nearly all other 

 commodities, have gone up in the last ten years. 

 Just how much the general price level has risen 

 is difficult to say. Possibly it is 50 per cent. If 

 this be true, it might be argued that increases 

 in lumber prices up to 50 per cent are simply 

 increases brought about by the same causes that 

 have forced up other prices, and that increases 

 of more than 50 per cent are due to other causes, 

 of which a lessened supply, or an increased de- 

 mand, might be the greatest. 



Tlie census reports show that the average mill 

 price of all kinds of lumber increased 38 per cent 

 from 1900 to 1908, and that the average price 

 in the latter year was 7.2 per cent less than in 

 1907. Taking up individual species, we find 

 that tamarack, a wood of little general impor- 

 tance, has increased the least in price since 

 1900, only 3 per cent : that walnut increased but 

 16.6 per cent, and chestnut only 21.7 per cent. 

 The heaviest increase. 80.3 per cent, is shown by 

 yellow poplar, and the next heaviest, 71.3 per 

 'cent, by cottonw-ood. Of the more important 

 kinds o'f lumber, increases of less than 50 per 

 cent in value from 1900 to 1908 took place in 

 white pine, sugar pine, birch, maple, chestnut, 



spruce, hemlock, red gum and Douglas fir. Of 

 these, nine woods, with the exception of white 

 pine and hemlock, the cut was greater, and in 

 several cases much greater, in 190S tlian in 

 1900. The increase in the value of yellow pine 

 was almost 50 per cent, and the increase was 

 greater than 50 per cent in hickory, ash, yellow 

 j.oplar, cj-press, oak, basswood, elm, cedar, cotton- 

 wood, redwood and western pine. Of these eleven 

 woods, ash, yellow poplar, oak, elm and cotton- 

 wood were cut in less quantity in 1908 than in 

 1900. The other six were more largely produced 

 in the latter year. 



That increases in value have occurred in woods 

 whose output has increased as well as in those 

 whose output has decreased is more clearly 

 shown by the following statement of the changes 

 in cut and mill price of the fifteen leading kinds 

 of lumber from 1900 to 1908 : 



Per cent of increase 

 1900 to 1908. 



Kind— Price. Cut. 



Yellow pine 49.C .^S'3 



White pine 43.2 ^?-i 



Douglas fir 38.1 111.8 



Oak o4.1 •37.G 



Hemlock 3G.S ♦26.0 



Spruce 44.2 2.6 



Western pine 54.9 3o.l 



Yellow poplar 80.3 ♦41.4 



Maole o7.o 00. J 



Cypress 59.9 49.8 



Hedwood o4.i 12.4 



Ked gum 35.8 106.8 



Chestnut 21. 1 161.0 



Basswood 59.7 , ,5„ 



Cottonwood <l-3 '44.^ 



♦ Decrease. 



While it is probable that the average mill 

 price of all kinds of lumber combined has not 

 risen more than has the. general price level, it 

 is evident that with several important species 

 either a decreased supply or an increased de- 

 mand has exerted a strong influence upon the 

 price. 



The Futdee 



It is always dangerous to predict, but every 

 man is entitled to his guess, and I think I am 

 safe in saying that the maximum output of the 

 following kinds of lumber has been passed : 

 White pine, oak. eastern hemlock, eastern spruce, 

 cypress, yellow poplar, cottonw'ood, ash. elm. In 

 a second group I shall place the following woods, 

 the cut of which probably will run about steady 

 for a few years, or perhaps increase somewhat : 

 Yellow pine, maple, red gum, chestnut, beech, 

 redwood, birch, basswood, cedar, hickory, sugar 

 pine, tupelo and walnut. This brings us to the 

 last group, the cut of which with favorable 

 market conditions we may expect to increase 

 heavily Here there should be no doubt about 

 placing Douglas fir, western hemlock, western 

 spruce, western yellow pine, western white pine, 

 iodgepole pine, larch and white fir. 



PEiRCENTAGE OF TOTAL LUMBER PRODUCTION 

 SUPPLIED BY DIFFERENT REGIONS 



1850 I860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 



YEARS 



■'8'iO I860 1810 1880 1890 1900 1910 



YEARS 



