
The writing was on the wall when the Sharples Sales & Service Co. of West Chester, Pa., sent this letter to an Oregon farmer in 1934, encouraging him to trade up to the new improved tubular separator. The company offered a 30 percent discount for an order placed quickly. Why? Perhaps because the nifty new power-equipped separator was coming on strong.
The discount was for a manual separator. But mailed along with that offer was a promotion for a power-equipped unit. “Are you turning a cream separator by hand for 2 cents an hour? That’s all it costs to run it with power – theoretically,” Sharples promotional materials read. “Actually, it costs less than nothing at all – because the saving in cream due to the perfectly regular operation by motor is much greater than that.” And if the power went out, the unit could still be operated by hand.


In 1934, though, even a 30 percent discount may not have been enough to sweeten the deal for an upgrade. The worst days of the Great Depression were still fresh in mind, and chances are the old separator would work indefinitely, so long as it was well-maintained. But it must have been a tantalizing offer, one attractive enough that this Sharples letter and brochure never made it to the trash can. FC
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