The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-21

knows the amount of fertilizer that is
ton it is distributed
She Is conservative. She knows her cor
respondents are honest and well intention
ed. Probably no one In the cotton world
ever had better lot than supply her with
reports. But she knows as everyone who
mas had anything to do with agricultural
correspondents, that the vision of tho re-
porter is colored at times by the sentiment
or the belief, of the people in his neigh
horhood. She has to gauge the human
element as well as the elements of nature
in her calculations. She takes her $500
reports and studies them, putting down
figures and comparing them with others
that she has already prepared. Then she
has to consider these figures in the light
of the acreage the precipitation, the
amount of fertilizer and the various other
things that enter into the making of the
cotton crop. With all her figures and all
her information in hand she has to make
her own deductions based upon her own
special reasoning and her individual judg-
ment.
Twelve times year she has to do this
She sends out one report in May two in
june two in July, two in August, two in
September, one in October, one in Novem-
Der and one in December. She gets out
her report from three to five days in ad-
vance of that Of the United States govern
melt. Sometimes the government statisti-
clans have blundered egregiousy. Miss
Giles working alone has been right more
times than the agricultural department
with all its facilities. In 1905 her reputa-
ton was established throughout the world
by reason of the verification of her pre-
dictions by the outturn of the cotton crop.
She Immediately became a market factor.
Since then the Giles report is watched for
With deep interest. She has to go to ex-
tremes to safeguard it from being made
public before her subscribers receive it
and before they can take advantage Of it's
information. She limits her subscribers to
twelve persons in the United States and
two In India. One of her foreign subs
cribers is in Bombey and the other in
Viramgum. To the foreign subscribers,
the report is oabled. To her American
subscribers the report is delivered at nine
thirty a. m. on the day it is issued. All
get the report at the same time their
representatives meeting at Miss Giles Of
flee at that hour and receiving the sealed
paper from her hands. She has a second
ary service which is sent by mail to five
subscribers This is simply her regular
report. but arriving a day or two later
than that furnished to the subscribers of
the first class.
All sorts of subterfuges are resorted to
opinion regarding cotton. SO far as pos
sible she secludes herself. You won't find
her name in the telephone directory. She
had ii taken out because so many men
called her up and by adroit qestioning
endeavored to get some idea from her re-
garding the crop. To her twelve sub
scribers. her reports may be of great value
at times of grave doubt as to the crop If
kept from the knowledge of others. These
twelve persons can make their deals and
later, when the market responds either
through the open publication OF the Giles
report, or the issuance of the government
report, take advantage of the situation.
An example of this was given the other
day. The Giles report giving the condition
as she considered it on the date OF August
%. was issued on August 90. On Septem-
ber g. the government report came out
giving the condition on the date of August
25. The government not only confirmed
the Giles report, which was sensational In
its Indication of the crop deterioration but
went little further AS result the cot
ton market went crazy and cotton which
was already IL cents a pound advanced
between three and four dollars a bale
more.
Miss Giles is the only woman who is a
cotton crop forecaster or statistician.
Another woman enjoyed the field, but
didn't last. She had been in the agricul-
tural department and was fairly capable,
but she couldn't make headway.
Although Miss Giles is the most striking
success as a cotton student, and statisti-
clan since the day of Henry M. Neill she
says the work she is doing is a mans s
work. When she says this. however, she
acknowledges that it Is doubtful If she
would have succeeded well and lasted
so long had she been a man. To man in
such a position she holds the temptation
to speculate would be very strong. She
says she loves her work She loves to sit
in her quite office, work out the problems
that come before her, guard her informa-
ton until it is placed In the proper hands
and, now and then. have the great joy of
knowing the cotton world has gone wild
on discovering what she knew and what
she was first to announce to her own
select coterie. She isn't always right. If
she were, fabulous prices would be paid to
be one of, the twelve on her list. but she
is right often enough to have the highest
standing in her line.
She isn't satisfied. She is looking for
more worlds to conquer. She is thinking
of corn and wheat. She is thinking of
the work she used to do when she was
getting IS week Perhaps one of these
days the grain world Will know her. as 1t
now knows its great Forecaster, Snow.