The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-20
CURRENT LUMBER
 TRADE NEWS

tL1efS and dealers is now centered on the growing crops and their probable outcome. Up to the present time the outlook as a whole is fairly promising. Winter wheat, the first saleable grain crop of the season, promises to turn out an average crop, one probably larger than1ast year. In Texas harvest ing and threshing have begun and wheat there is being sold at S5 cents bushel, which may be deemed a price thai will yield the producer fair profit and put good deal of money into circulation. The harvest will progress notthward steady until the winter wheat belt shall be covered. By the end of the month we shall nave ascer- tained the money producing power Of this years winter wheat crop and snail realize what effect it is to have on the summer lumber trade of the southwest. No doubt, as usual, the demand in that part of the country will begin to pick up earlier than in other sections. There will be some failures of wheat in west ern Oklahoma and Kansas, though on the whole 1t will probably not seriously affect the general result so far as the d-mEnd for yellow pine is concerned. There is great promise for the cotton crop. the latest advices indicating that all over the south with the possible exception of the southeastern portion of the producing area, the outcome promises to be a record breaker. Such a result would wonderfully help the lumber trade in Texas and Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana and finally that all over the middle southern cotton bet It would greatly promote improve ment in the southern states. thus help ing in the disposition at home of much of the common grade output of the mills and a good deal O fthe better qual- ities The main feature is that a good grain and cotton crop in Texas and Oklahoma would push forward settle ment and improvement in those states, and thus greatly enhance the demand for lumber In the spring, wheat states of the northwest the promise of the crop Is generally excellent-much bet ter than it was at this time last year. Rain has been sufficient over the larger part of the spring wheat area, with the result that the crop is making a good growth. It is especially significant that wheat in eastern Montana, where so many ventured last year to take. up nd and make settlement, never looked better. This feature promise a good demand for lumber in the Flathead producing field. Wheat promises well in Washington and Oregon. With this out look for the great money crops mar ketable in late summer and early fall, the exception is indulged that the de- mand for lumber will revive as soon as marketing of wheat shall begin. This Is the most promising feature of the outlook at present, as associated with the cereal crop. so far the interior lumber trade Is concerned.
 The cypress trade at Louisiana mills cd or1n nrdo but in that form it is steady in move ment and in fair volume. Shipments from the mills Is said to be nearly close up to the cut.
 The hardwood trade is running mainly to plain sawed oak, maple and birch, with red gum pronounced feature Pop lar is selling we'll when adapted to auto mobile work, the high grade stuff being most in request.
 North Carolina pine is in temporarily quiet condition, demand ranging from al most dormant to fairly active" box manufacture supplying the most satisfac- tory phase of the status of the south eastern product. Prices in some centers of distribution show an encouraging ten dency.
 The market as whole has made no advance in volume of sales or in state of prices since the beginning of the month. In some respects there appears to have been a recession in demand,
 which indicates that the trade is settling down to summer conditions. Under such circumstances 1t can not be expected that there will be much if any increase in activity until buying shall begin for the fall trade. The railroads and large in- dustrial corporations are still keeping out of the market for supplies in excess of what they need for current repairs. with few exceptions In the southwest and south as well as in the father west. where new work in progress necssitates the purchase of considerable timber and lumber. The railroad equipment trade continues quiet, though there has been
 some increase of demand for car ma terial. largely that of steel, however, which helps the lumber trade but slight ly. Not much change in the demand for lumber can be expected until after July 1, the end of the fiscal year; and even thereafter, to the end of the vacation season, 8 great degree of activity should
 not be looked for. The managers of the railroads and greater corporations will have to go through with a process of readjustment, and of planning for the
 next fiscal year, and the fall campaign for business. before they launch out with new commitments, and the extent of their demands for forest and mill
 products must be determined by actual | experience, as, shaped or msshapen as business conditions now are, it were vain to make any positive predictions. | Of one thing we are now aware. the l trade has entered on the period of mid
 summer dullnev. the intensity of which is being emphasized by the peculiar state of public and private affairs which are | the legacies of the panic of 1907 and the political and business changes that have come about since that year,. notably evi-
 dent in the last few weeks.