The Growing Flower Magic Trick

This trick is performed with a wide-mouthed jar which is about 10 in. high. If an earthern jar of this kind is not at hand, use a glass fruit jar and cover it with black cloth or paper, so the contents cannot be seen.

Flower Grows Instantly

Two pieces of wire are bent as shown in Fig. 1 and put together as in Fig. 2.
These wires are put in the jar, about one-third the way down from the top, with the circle centrally located.
The wires can be held in place by carefully bending the ends, or using small wedges of wood.

Cut a wire shorter in length than the height of the jar and tie a rose or several flowers on one end.
Put a cork in the bottom of the jar and stick the opposite end of the wire from where the flowers are tied through the circle of the two wires and into the cork.
The dotted lines in Fig. 3 show the position of the wires and flowers.

To make the flowers grow in an instant, pour water into the jar at one side of the wide mouth.
The cork will float and carry the wire with the flowers attached upward, causing the flowers to grow, apparently, in a few seconds' time.
Do not pour in too much water to raise the flowers so far that the wire will be seen.

—Contributed by A. S. Macdonald, Oakland, Calif.

Excerpt from the book:
THE BOY MECHANIC
VOLUME I
700 THINGS FOR BOYS TO DO
WITH 800 ILLUSTRATIONS
1913, BY H. H. WINDSOR CHICAGO
POPULAR MECHANICS CO. PUBLISHERS