The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-01

 cottonseed trade. To be of greater as- sstance she read every bit of eorre- spondence over and over, so she could keep posted on everything that was going on, Then she read everything that she could ohtain that bore upon the cotton seed industry. -a
 She did not find it dry reading. It is rot It absorbed her, and it will absorb any one who has a well of enthusiasm a fair amount of imagination and desire to add to his or her store of information. But it probably would puzzle a student of eugenics to discover where Miss Bal lou got her aptitude for business. She was the first woman of her family to go ent into the world to make her living She entered a field that women had not invaded And yet it is said that she was one Of the best clerks Memphis has known. In three months she had the odds and ends of that office at her finger tips. In six months her employer could place absolute dependence upon her run- n.ng the establishment whenever it be- came necessary for him to go away on a trip. In nine months he sought her ad- vice whenever he was inT douht and at the end of year, when she decided to go in the business for herself, he had lit tie doubt of her sdceess,
 A girl of IS who embarks for herself in the cottonseed oil business as Miss Bal lou did. must have abounding courage There probably is no line of endeavor that has more ramifcatons than cotton seed oil A broker to be a success, must keep in close touch with and have a good working knowledge of 50 or 100 df- ferent lines of industry. The average person would suppose that the price of cotton seed or cottonseed oil would de- pend upon the size of the cotton crop. It does and it does not A person also would suppose that the price of cotton would bear distinct relation to the price of cottonseed and cottonseed products. It does and it does not. Occasionally the two go together more often they do not The explanation Is this:
 Cotton is sold as cotton to the person who wants cotton. but the products of the cottonseed are soldsas a substitute for other things. Cotton is necessity: cottonseed products are not. Cottonseed cil goes into tbe making of butter substi- tutos, into Sthe making of tallow and scaps. oils and a variety of articles used in cooking.
 Miss Bailou went into. the business as a broker She had won the confidence of some cottonseed mill men. and they had determined to give a- chance to her to market their products. If she succeeded III SellnS lnelF Stull dl Sppi she could rest assured of continuance of their patronage. If she did not give good service. and if they did not find tEat she sold to advantage. they would have no more to do with her. Business is cold and calculating. Success is what counts. s
 Miss Ballou did not have so many ec- counts that she could not give earnest and close attention to the markets. She is keen and quick She lSnew her field Ap- parently she srasped the exact bearing of the various clements that go to make up the supply and the demand and the price of cottenseed products She has a love of statistics and she keeps herself iH close touch with all the great markets Necessarily she has to know a lot about cotton. She studies the reports in the spring about the area planted. Then she studies the weather. A good deal depends upon the amount of moisture the earth gets in the planting season.
 If the weather is propitious and the plants get good, Nsturdy tap roots, they