NATCHEZ &045; A small tractor puttered across narrow dirt lanes in the Natchez City Cemetery late Tuesday. Longtime cemetery employee Martin Anderson was at the wheel, with co-workers Robert &uot;Maypop&uot; Madison and Tom Bibbins riding behind in a cart loaded with trash, including mounds of artificial flowers found blown about the hilly terrain.

Spring cleaning is coming not a day too soon, said Don Estes, cemetery director. &uot;We already have begun mowing,&uot; Estes said, pointing out that removal of trash and some of the flowers on gravesites must precede mowing and edging at the historical burial ground.

&uot;I want the families to know I’m sorry about the inconvenience of the loss of flowers,&uot; Estes said. &uot;We try to remove just the seasonal flowers.&uot; In this case, that means Christmas flowers, he said.

&uot;The Christmas flowers have been through a hard winter and have blown all over the place,&uot; he said. &uot;Sixty days after Christmas is when we start mowing, and we have to pick up those flowers.&uot;

Sarabeth Rountree, president of the cemetery board of directors, said signs at each entrance to the cemetery tell families about the 60-day removal policy.

&uot;Cleaning started this week, and our labor is expensive,&uot; Rountree said. &uot;The workers don’t have time to stop and pick up things that might damage their machines or even hurt them.&uot;

Accidents have happened due to inattention to the cemetery rules about flowers, she said. &uot;Wires on the flowers especially can be dangerous, and we ask that anything on the ground, whether faded or not, must be picked up.&uot;

Many groups have volunteered in recent weeks to begin cleanup efforts, Rountree said. They include Key Club students, church youth groups, Boy Scout troops and groups who walk together for exercise through the cemetery.

Estes pointed out an example of the correct way to use artificial flowers on a monument for long-term placement. &uot;Here is exactly what is allowed,&uot; he said. &uot;The vase is permanently attached to the monument and is off the ground.&uot;

Routine checks of gravesites by families often will alleviate problems maintenance workers have, Estes said.

And for all families who tend graves of loved ones at Natchez City Cemetery, there are specific rules they should know &045; and keep.

A marble plaque is ready for installation at the new gate recently completed at the cemetery. The message on the plaque, among other things, asks visitors to leave the cemetery better than they found it.

That means picking up litter, not creating more work for the maintenance crew, Rountree said.

Estes said in the six years since he became director at the cemetery, he has seen an increase in numbers of people who come just to look at the cemetery. &uot;There has been an increase in drive-around tourists, and we’re getting more and more publicity,&uot; he said. &uot;A lot of people are coming out here and enjoying the beauty of the place.&uot;