1861. 



THE ILLmOIS FAEMEE. 



The Lumber Trade. 



A l?rge part of our patrons receive their 

 lumber from Chicago, and it is therefore 

 proper that we give them some informatiou 

 in regard to the condition of the market. 

 To this end we can do no better than to copy 

 the circular of one of the oldest houses in 

 the trade. It is probable that the present 

 stock will rate firm during the winter, but 

 we think the chance of a decline in the 

 spring highly probable. On account of the 

 low stage of water last spring a large num- 

 ber of mills received only a partial supply of 

 logs, large preparations have been made for 

 logging this winter and thus far the fall of 

 snoWhas been all that -could be desired. If 

 things should go on as at present and the 

 old and new stock get down in the spring, 

 we may look to large additions over the last 

 years stock, in that case prices must come 

 down. Oa the other hand freight must re- 

 main firm if not advance which may possibly 

 prevent much of a decline. On the whole 

 we think a decline of two dollars on common 

 lumber and fencing may be expected. In 

 regard to country lumber dealers we have a 

 word to say. There is no reason why lum- 

 ber in the country should not be sold as low 

 as in the city adding rail road freight. Our 

 country dealers can purchase by the cargo 

 as low as city dealers, they can load and 

 ship as cheap as it can be put in the yards, 

 and certainly it can be piled as cheaply in 

 the country as in the city, ground rents are 

 much less in the country and so is the cost 

 of living. "Well," says the country dealer 

 "we do not sell so much." That is true and 

 the very point we are coming to. All the 

 best cuf tomers get their lumber direct from 

 the city, consequently your business is redu- 

 ced to a small amount. Now on all these 

 orders you might have made a dollar on 

 every thousand feet and the purchaser get 

 his lumber of you at the same price as in 

 the city. Let us take for instance Mr. B., 

 who wants twenty thousand feet of common 

 boards, at the present rate, say twelve dol- 

 lars, the bill would be about as follows: 



Cost of 20 M. feet lumber |^12o....$240 00 



ExchaBge J per cent 60 



Freight $5 per M 100 00 



Unloading 5 00 



$345 60 



Average cost per M $17 28 



You purchase the same lumber by 



the cargo at $10 per M $200 00 



Freight 100 00 



Exchange - 50 



Commission in purchasing 5 00 



Unloading,^ - 5 00 



$310 50 

 Profit to the dealer $35 10 



Suppose you put this in the yard at 



the further cost of piling, 50 cts $10 00 



elling and rent of ground $1 50... 30 00 



$350 50 

 This would make an average of $17 52 

 per M. 



Cargoes of mixed lumber costing at this 

 time $11 per M. will run one fifth clear and 

 contain a good proportion of common, sel 

 ling one to two dollars higher on account of 

 extra lei?gth. It will be seen that the deal- 

 er would have made §35 10 but no he must 

 chargy a highor profit and away goes his best 

 customers to the city. When our country 

 dealers pursue a rational course we ttiink 

 they will change the retail trade in lumber 

 from the city to the country. Cheap ground 

 rents, cheap living and lower rates of insu- 

 rance all point to the country as the place to 

 store large lots of lumber and where it is 

 war ted for use. Within the past three years 

 v?e have purchased over a hundred thousand 

 feet of lumber at the Cliicago jards and have 

 saved from two to four dollars on a thousand 

 feet, yet the country dealers might havo 

 made at least a hundred dollars piofit and* 

 we none the worse for it. 



We have made this article longer than we 



intended and will add the annual report and 



prices curre.t of lumber, shingles, &c. 



Chicago, December 15, 1860. 



The trade for the past year, both to munufac- 

 turers and dealers, has been fairly remunerative. 

 The amount manufactured and sold is considera- 

 bly less than that of 1859. Prices during the 

 latter part of the season have been such, that 

 there has been a paying margin tor both the deal- 

 er and manufacturer, which has to a certain ex- 

 tent made up for the losses of 1858. The wants 

 of the country are such, that if the present grain 



