proceedings of the farmers' clur. 305 



Climate of Minnesota. 



Allow me to add a few sentences that may be of general interest. 



It is true we have very cold weather in this State, but the extreme cold 

 lasts only two or three days, otherwise the winter season is of even tem- 

 perature — cold and dry, seldom raining or thawing. Spring comes as 

 early as in middle New York, and is much more decided. 



The whole summer season is that of several degrees south — never a su- 

 perabundance of rain, no fog or damp, muggy weather, and less trouble 

 with frost than in Western New York. The fall season is invariably dry 

 and sunny, and the plow runs till the 20th to the 25th of November, when 

 it is stopped by the frost. 



The wind blows from a pleasant breeze to almost a gale three-fourths of 

 the time, except in winter, when it is generally still. 



All domestic animals are very vigorous and healthy, and we believe it is 

 the greatest country in the world for breeding sheep, and from the fact 

 that the ground does not thaw until it should, in the spring, we believe 

 that grapes, apples, &c., can be cultivated with better success than in 

 many regions where the freezing and thawing process is going on through 

 most of the winter, though it may be farther south. 



Mr. Wm. S. Carpenter answered that Delaware vines required better 

 ground and better treatment than several other sorts. He recommended 

 to pulverize the land deeply, and manure it with old, well-rotted stable 

 manure or compost, or with fine bone, siiperphosphate or wood-ashes, and 

 to cultivate the ground carefully while the vines are growing. 



Prof. Mapes. — In reply to the inquiry in relation to the question whether 

 carrots are good for hogs as they are for horned-cattle and horses, I say 

 no ; but parsnips are. Carrots do not contain avery lai-ge amount of nutri- 

 ment, and their value for feeding is not on account of their nutritious pro- 

 perties. It is owing to the pectic acid which they contain in larger qxian- 

 tity than any other roots used for feeding, and this assists the animal to 

 digest other food and obtain its nutritive qualities in much lai-ger amount, 

 BO that a peck of oats and a peck of carrots a day fed to a horse would do 

 him more good than a half bushel of oats without the carrots. 



Another question propounded by Mr. Whiting was upon the value of corn 

 sowed for fodder, and whether that of sweet corn was greater than of other 

 varieties ; also, whether it should be bound in bundles for curing. 



This question was answered by several gentlemen to the effect that it is 

 not worth while to bind the corn ; it cures better set up in stocks, tied 

 together at the top, and sweet corn is the best variety for fodder. 



The question whether beans should be planted in hills or drills found 

 advocates for both plans, but all agreed that the kind known as marrow 

 beans, a large, roundish, field bean, is the best variety known. 



Natural Grafting. 



Mr. Le Roy Whitford, Harmony, Chautauqua county, N. Y., sends us the 

 following interesting account otf natural grafting of forest trees : 



" Some fifteen years ago, a natural curiosity was to be seen by travelers 



[Am. Inst.J U 



