Report of the Meetings for 1892. 61 



above quoted 14tli — a date that will lon^ be remembered on the Berwick- 

 shire coast, as well as inland. We had not time to measure any of the 

 Trees, though there are some very fine specimens in the Park well worthy 

 of special mention. The Araucarias were carefully examined ; these are 

 the finest of their kind in the south of Scotland, if not the best in the 

 country. Their dimensions are — 



1 Araucaria, height 46' 1" ; diameter at one ft., 8' 10''; at five ft., 6' Z'l. 



2 „ „ 43'3<< „ 1'.^"; „ 5'10'< 



3 „ „ 40' 6" „ 4' 10"; „ 5' 4'' 



No. 1 is a female plant, and has carried cones and ripened seeds from 

 which plants have been grown. 



No. 2 is a male plant, and has borne catkins. 



No. 3 is also a male plant, and has numerous catkins on it at present. 



On the 5th October 1880, I measured these trees — 



No. 1, height 39' 6"; diameter at one ft., 7'; at three ft., 5' 4'/; 



at five ft., 5' 

 No. 2, „ 36' „ 5' 9^<; at three ft., 5'; 



at five ft., 4' 10'/ 

 No. 3, „ 33'. „ 3' 6"; at three ft., 3' 2"; 



at five ft., 3'1// 

 PETER LONEY. 



The well-known Myrtle in tlie conservatory is also of large 

 dimensions. It is upwards of a century old, and was a sprig in 

 the bouquet of the beautiful Miss Lucy Johnston of Hutton 

 Hall, at a ball given in her lionour at Blanerne. The flower 

 borders, vineries, and conservatory with a magnificent collection 

 of Geraniums, were much admired. They were all in perfect 

 order, and reflected great credit on the care and skill of the 

 gardener, Mr Aikman. 



Several of the company accompanied Mr Hay in a charming 

 walk round the lake ; while yet another party inspected a portion 

 of the woods which has been lately much damaged by an out- 

 break of the Vole pest, which has proved so destructive to 

 pastures in several lowland counties. The method adopted on 

 Duns Castle Estate for their destruction is to sink common three- 

 inch drain tiles vertically in the ground, so as to leave their upper 

 edges on a level with the surface, in a line with the runs of the 

 vermin. It is found that they readily fall into this form of trap. 

 The success attending its use may be judged from the fact that 

 considerably upwards of 6000 mice of different species, of which 

 fully three-fourths were Voles, have been captured during the 

 last three seasons. 



