50 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



IninbiT in larger quantities. Tim railroads cod- 

 tinue to take stocks iu considerable volume, and 

 tlio furniture manufacturing jilants here have 

 enough business in hand to keep them going 

 full time. Some of the plants even report that 

 they are rushed. Stocks at the mills are by no 

 means heavy and any decided increase in the 

 distribution would be followed almost imme- 

 diately by an advance in prices, which are quite 

 steady as it is. 



The inquiry for wide poplar is not as active 

 as it has been, but the lower grades are some- 

 what more active, though the range of prices 

 is still down and there is little snap in the 

 trade. Common chestnut, too. keeps down at 

 a low level, the production of this lumber hav- 

 ing exceeded the demand for some time past. 

 The movement iu the better grades of oak, ash, 

 chestnut and other woods, however, is fair and 

 salesmen are encouraged by the results of their 

 work. Rather greater energy may be required 

 to close sales than was the case in the pros- 

 perous .years, but there can be little complaint 

 un the volume of business in hardwoods. 



The news from the other side of the At- 

 lantic is decidedly encouraging of late. Stocks 

 appear to be reduced to a point where the buy- 

 ers deem it expedient to manifest a keener in- 

 terest in supplies, and numerous inquiries art 

 being received by exporters. Prices are not yet 

 what they ought to be, but an upward trend 

 is noted, and there is also less trouble about 

 the inspection. Persons who really want lum- 

 ber are disposed to take planks without mak- 

 ing all sorts of objections, which always indi- 

 cates a more receptive market and curtailed 

 supplies. It is not to be inferred, however, 

 that the foreign market will stand a rush of 

 bhipments. Care in forwarding is still required 

 but the shipper is more certain nf getting re- 

 turns which will net him a protit. 



CLEVELAND 



Hardwoods are moving more briskly with the 

 advance of the fall season. Lumbermen say that 

 che amount of hardwoods used in trim and 

 liooring will exceed all records this year. Plain 

 oak is being called for very extensively and is 

 holding firm in price. Quartered oak is also 

 firm. Mahogany does not appeal to Cleveland 

 for interior trim as much as to some other cities, 

 but nevertheless is moving well. Chestnut is 

 showing up much better than in any time during 

 the past few months. The prejudice against 

 chestnut as an interior trim is gradually being 

 eliminated and architects are beginning to 

 specify it for finer grades of houses than for- 

 merly. The slump for wide poplar continues, as 

 the automobile companies have shut down almost 

 completely on making up new stock. The situ- 

 ation witli the auto makers, however, seems to 

 be somewhat improved, in Cleveland at least, 

 which is the second largest auto producing cen- 

 ter of the country. Retrenchments are being 

 made and no difficulty Is expected in meeting 

 any situation which may develop. 



COLUMBUS 



The consensus of opinion among lumbermen 

 engaged in the hardwood trade is that a slight 

 improvement has taken place in the past fort- 

 niglit. The improvement is most noticeable in 

 the yard trade, although some better conditions 

 are reported in the factory demand. On the 

 whole the market is in excellent condition and 

 prices have been well maintained. The demand 

 is well distributed over all the varieties and 

 grades, although the strongest demand is ap- 

 parent for the better grades of chestnut. One 

 of the best features of the market is the dispo- 

 sition on the part of furniture factories to pur- 

 chase more liberally. Sample orders have been 

 placed with shippers and larger orders are an- 

 ticipated in the near future. Implement fac- 



tories are also buying more liberally and the 

 sijme is true of vehicle plants. 



Plain and quartered oak is in fair demand at 

 good prices. Poplar is in good demand and the 

 supply is not short. Wide sizes are not called 

 for as much as formerly. Chestnut is quite 

 strong, especially in the higher grades. Bass- 

 wood is in better demand and prices are strong. 

 Ash remains weak. There is a fair demand for 

 hickorf. Other hardwoods are unchanged. 



NASHVILLE 



CINCINNATI 



A close observation of the conditions which 

 have governed the Queen City hardwood market 

 the past month shows that the middle of August 

 found the market at the lowest ebb of the year. 

 September opened somewhat more promising and 

 as the cooler weather returned there has been 

 a slow and stea'dy increase in the volume of 

 business. While trade is not up to the expected 

 standard, still there is more selling, and indi- 

 cations point to a steady increase as the season 

 progresses. The mails are bringing more orders, 

 and men on the road are sending in better re- 

 ports. 



Quarter-sawed red and white oak, which for a 

 long time has been the leading feature of the 

 market demand, is not so much in evidence now. 

 Plain sawed red and white oak is receiving some 

 attention, while heavy car and bridge stock 

 shows activity. The stocks of oak on hand and 

 available are fully equal to the demands of the 

 trade at present. Higher prices are being talked 

 of, but consumers are still slow buyers on the 

 grounds that present prices are too high. Chest- 

 nut in the top grades is plentiful and in better 

 request than for some time. Sound wormy i.s 

 moving slowly, with the prospects of an increas- 

 ing demand later on. Prices are very low and 

 there is no immediate prospect of an advance. 

 Ash is in fair demand for the wagon and car- 

 riage industries, while there is a steady sale for 

 thick white ash which is well seasoned for heavy 

 wagonmakers' use. Furniture makers' grades are 

 in slow movement. Hickory for the wagon and 

 carriage trade is meeting with a steady market. 

 Pole, shaft and wheelmakers' grades are moving 

 freely. Red gum is moving slowly for furniture 

 makers' grades, but there is a fair demand from 

 manufacturers of interior trim and fixtures, 

 while siding and flooring are also receiving some 

 attention. Walnut stocks continue to increase, 

 with some sales for foreign shipment, but hold- 

 ers still maintain firm views as to the future. 

 Prices remain unchanged. Poplar is again show- 

 ing signs of animation, with a fair prospect 

 of again reaching the conditions which prevailed 

 in the spring. It is said that prices for the 

 top grades may be shaded some in the fall trade. 

 There is a fair demand for wagon box boards, 

 while medium grades are receiving a little more 

 attention than during the summer. Low grades 

 are in abundant supply and move slowly. 

 Cypress still shows activity for the building 

 grades, with some inquiry for tank stock. The 

 market for cypress at this point shows a steady 

 increase in the volume of trade. 



INDIANAPOLIS 



There has been little change in the local 

 hardwood market during the last two weeks. 

 The demand continues fair for all grades, with 

 prices steady and prospects bright for a good 

 fall and winter trade. 



One of the most encouraging features of the 

 .situation is the increased demand for hardwoods 

 for interior finish work. Building operations will 

 exceed all previous records this year and the 

 vehicle manufacturing trade is more active than 

 it has been for some years. 



A decrease is noted in the demand for hard- 

 woods from automobile concerns, which are more 

 or less inactive in Indiana just now, the tend- 

 ency being to curtail production. 



Some improvement in the local lumber mar- 

 ket has been noted the past few days. It can 

 be stated that the anticipated fall movement of 

 stocks is now under way and renewed activity is 

 noted all the way along the line, even to the 

 low grades that accumulate after the summer's 

 cutting. Local lumbermen seem more optimistic 

 over the situation than they have been for 

 many woeks before. While the resumption of 

 trade has been slow it has been steady likewise 

 and it is expected that it will gradually increase 

 into a very encouraging volume of fall and win- 

 ter business. Through all the expected stagna- 

 tion of the summer period prices have remained 

 steady. Some of the lumbermen feel that the 

 attitude of the railroads in staying out of the 

 lumber market on account of uncertainty as to 

 future freight rates has had its effect upon the 

 volume of business done. Others that money is 

 still a bit tight and that that has affected busi- 

 ness. 



A slight falling off has been noted in poplar, 

 due to the prevailing idea that many of the 

 large automobile factories in the country would 

 suspend for a while. This seems to be mere 

 rumor, however, and the market is recovering 

 from its effects as quickly as it was affected by 

 the rumor in the first instance. Improvement 

 is noted in both plain and quartered oak. The 

 call for hickory and ash is likewise better. A 

 heavier movement of chestnut is noted. Re 

 newed activity among the sash, door and blind 

 people has caused cypress to pick up. 



BRISTOL 



The lumbermen here are more optimistic than 

 they have been for several weeks. This opti- 

 mism is based largely on prospects for fall and 

 winter trade. Prices are fair but the demand 

 is not as good as it might be or was expected 

 about this time. Sliipments have been some- 

 what heavier this month than last and more 

 business is being taken than in August. 



LOUISVILLE 



Trade conditions are pronounced much better 

 at present than they were two weeks ago. Buy- 

 ers were slow to come into the market with the 

 lieginning of September as they had been ex- 

 pected to do, but consuming interests are now 

 operating on a larger scale and lumber is mov- 

 ing in satisfactory volume. Prices are also 

 holding up well, although they weakened for a 

 time under the influence of a lot of cheap lum- 

 ber which was dumped in on the northern mar- 

 kets from the Southwest. Plain and quartered 

 oak and poplar are selling well. Cottonwood 

 and gum are also in demand. Mahogany is in 

 good condition. The veneer manufacturers are 

 busy and report a satisfactory trade. 



HUNTINGTON 



The lumbermen in this section report market 

 I onditions improving and the receipt of orders 

 at satisfactory prices. The market has been 

 \'isited by a number of eastern buyers the past 

 week and a number of them have been disap- 

 pointed in finding the small supply of dry stock 

 on hand and were unable to place the orders 

 they had expected when coming into the city. 

 Dry stock in both plain and quartered white 

 oak in the higher grades is very scarce and 

 No. 2 common is bringing good prices. Furnl 

 ture and flooring manufacturers are buying large 

 amounts of this stock. The lower grades of 

 hardwoods are moving again, although prices 

 are not as good as miUmen would like. Sound 

 wormy chestnut continues to be very slow on 

 the market and pricee unsatisfactory. Hemlock 



