This idealized vision of a farm scene is from a chromolithograph advertising sign dating to the early 1900s. It promotes the Twentieth Century manure, lime and fertilizer distributor produced by J.S. Kemp Mfg. Co. of Newark Valley, New York and Waterloo, Iowa.
In 1875, J.S. Kemp invented, patented and began manufacture of manure spreaders in Magog, Quebec, Canada. Kemp also launched four separate companies to manufacture manure spreaders based upon his designs.
One of those companies was J.S. Kemp Mfg. Co. of Newark Valley, New York and Waterloo, Iowa. Kemp Mfg. Co. manufactured and distributed the Twentieth Century line of manure spreaders. By 1903, Kemp had begun selling Twentieth Century spreaders to International Harvester Co. IHC leased the factory from 1906 to 1908. FC
Grateful acknowledgement is given to David Schnakenberg, who contributed this image from his collection of pre-1910 chromolithographs of farm machinery advertising. For more information, contact him at 10108 Tamarack Dr., Vienna, VA 22182; (703) 938-8606; email; view the Schnakenberg Collection online.
To submit a vintage advertisement for publication, send it to: Iron Age Ads, Farm Collector, 1503 S.W. 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609; or submit high-quality digital images by email.
