32 
THE MODERN CEMETERY. 
separating the ashes of the coffin from the ashes of 
the body, one being black and the other white. 
That the practice of cremation is growing is evident. 
Last year there were ninety-nine bodies disposed of 
in this way, and this year there have already been 
over si.xty . — Loudon Funeral Director. 
The Springbank Cemetery, Aberdeen. 
The “ Granite City” is proud of its new i6 acre 
cemetery at Springbank. A local journal, after 
e.xpatiating on the beauty and convenience of the 
cemetery and the admirable manner in which it is 
laid out, says: — The ground was sown with long 
grass seed last autumn, and upwards of 4,000 
shrubs have been planted. These are thriving e.x- 
tremely well, and include cypresses of various kinds, 
yews, black American spruces, bay laurels, labur- 
nums, wild cherries, Irish yews, limes, willows and 
horse chestnuts for shade, and a great number of 
different kinds of flowering shrubs. Prominent 
among the features of the cemetery are the gate- 
ways and railings. The latter extend to nearly 400 
feet, and rise to a height of 4 feet ; of this length 
1 10 feet belongs to the approaches to the gateways, 
h'rom the inclined nature of the ground in various 
parts, it has been contrived that the railing should 
run on throughout on a level. All the castings, 
especially in the ornamentation of the gates, are of 
a classic nature, and are confined to the introduc- 
tion of a run of foliage carried along under the top 
rail, and lines and curves relieved with enriched 
pateras in the centre and lower parts. The whole, 
when seen in its full e.xpanse, presents a delicate 
lace-like appearance. There are two sets of en- 
trance gates, one on each side of the grounds. Each 
set consists of a double gate opening to a width of 
14 feet for carriages ; the height in the centre is about 
10 feet, and at the sides are two wicket gates 4 feet 
in width. The civic coat of arms appears on the 
centre panels of each of the two principal gates, 
while the corresponding panels of the wickets show 
the entwined monogram of the company. Access 
to the lodge and offices is obtained through an 
extra wicket gate of simpler design than the others. 
The whole of the gates harmonise with the railings, 
but the details are much more elaborate in execu- 
tion, and in addition a number of sand hour-glasses, 
urns, and other quaint old devices emblematic of 
time and eternity are interspersed with designs of 
wreaths and inverted torches. None of these ob- 
trude themselves harshly, but are so skilfully disposed 
as to be in perfect consonance with the general 
design. The gates, which are hung on handsome 
and substantial granite piers, were made by Messrs. 
McDonald, Stephen & Co., of Glasgow. The size 
of the cemetery is considerable, there being room 
for upwards of 4,000 lairs. The whole cost of the 
land and laying out of the ground was over ^8,000, 
and of this sum one-half goes to Mr. Geo. Duguid, 
builder, Aberdeen, who was contractor for the 
buildings and earthwork. The cemetery is under 
the superintendence of Mr. James Mackie, Spring- 
bank Cemetery, Aberdeen, Scotland, who has had 
an e.xtensive experience in practical and landscape 
gardening. The plan of the grounds and buildings 
was c.xecuted by Mr. Ale.xander Brown, of Messrs. 
Brown & Watt, architects, Aberdeen, and carried 
out under his careful supervision. Before settling 
on his design Mr. Brown visited a number of ceme- 
teries in the south, and several of their most striking 
features are advantageously introduced into the new 
Springbank Cemetery. 
Trimming Graves. 
Editor Modern Cemetery. 
As the trimming of graves with evergreens is often requested 
m Pittsfield cemetery, I adopted a plan in 1889, which is simple 
and inexpensive. I take four 2x12 spruce planks, eleven feet long, 
planed and painted green, and lay two on each side of the grave. 
On the two nearest the grave I lay sprigs of hemlock on the 
under side of the planks, the tops of the sprigs extending a little 
more than half-way across the grave, and nail a strip of board 
over the butts, holding them firmly on the plank. The casket is 
lowered and the sprigs come back again to their place. The 
material to fill the grave is covered with spruce boughs, so the 
open grave and the filling is not seen. For this we charge one 
dollar. About half of our interments are done in this way. 
C McAr'i hur, Supt. 
Pittsfield, Mass. 
Conveying Lots. 
Apropos of the suggestion by Mr. McCarthy 
that the laws on the subject of conveying cemetery 
lots be discussed in these columns, Mr. P. O. Sharp- 
less a trustee of the Marion, O., cemetery calls at- 
tention to the laws of that cemetery. The law of 
the State of Ohio provides that “Burial lots shall be 
for the sole purpose of interments, subject to the 
rules prescribed by the association and shall be ex- 
empt from taxation, execution, attachment or any 
other claim lien or process whatever, if used for 
burial purposes and in no wise with a view to 
profit. ” 
According to the rules of the cemetery no trans- 
fer of any lot will be permitted without the consent 
of the trustees. When such permission is granted 
the lot is first reconveyed to the trustees and a new 
deed issued. The form of deed in use conveys 
the right of possession forever and provides “that 
the lot shall not be transferable and shall be subject 
to the rules of the Association in force at time of 
purchase or that may be adopted hereafter.” The 
trustees are empowered to repurchase lots from non- 
residents, 
