Talk that there may have been some business done in the cash market prompted short covering that turned Chicago Mercantile Exchange lumber futures mixed Tuesday, traders said. Lumber futures closed $1.50 per thousand board feet higher to $2.00 lower with November up the most at $228.50 and January off the most at $241.80 per tbf. Futures showed early carry-over weakness from Monday's sharp losses and set two-week lows with pressure coming from reports of slow cash trade and concern cash prices would slip. But later reports that there may have been cash business done near steady values prompted short covering, and this turned futures mixed, they said. Traders also cited talk of curtailments at some non-spruce mills. Any curtailment would be helpful to overall lumber supplies, even though stocks are still burdensome. U.S. housing starts have been at a record level and wood consumption high, but 2X4 lumber prices have continued to struggle based on the very heavy rate of production and huge stocks. Canadian mills as well as reload centers in the United States continue to show large stockpiles of 2X4's despite the active movement of wider widths to job sites, they said. Cash sources expect mills to start cutting greater quantities of wider widths based on the demand. But mills still have logs to cut that produce 2X4's. "You still have those logs that you have to cut 4-inch (boards) out of," one cash source said. On Friday, Random Lengths quoted the cash price for standard and better spruce, which is deliverable against the CME November contract, at $201.00 per tbf, up $4.00 from the previous week. It also quoted No. 2 or better cash spruce, which is deliverable against all other CME contracts, at $220.00, up $9.00 from the previous week.