The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1856-11-08
= The Magical MANGO.


Everybody has heard Of the Indian jng-
g'er's trick of producing young manso,tree
from seed which be takes from his bag,
and submits 10 your examination. The seed
Is sound aud 6t for planting. The juggler
water, and, taking . mango-stons from his
bag, plants 1t in the earth he has prepared.
Over al, hs places = moderate-sized round
basket, upon which he spreads his cloth or .
native blanket. After an interval of discor.
dant music and. incautation, the cloth and
basket are removed, the muddy seed IS ta.
ken from the earth, and you observe that
long, slender, white fibres, forming the root,
have suddenly shot out. Again it is planted
and covered as before, and the music be-
comes more discordant, and the incarnation
more furious: At length the charm is com
plste, and the removal Of the basket displays
young and tender shoot, with two opening
leaves at its summit. Exclamations Of sur.
prise frornthe bystanders, and satisfaction
from the band Of jugglers, complete the Sec
ond act. Again ali il covered up anew. and
the ear-spliftinG music goes on. Suddenly
the coverings ~ removed, snd, to the aua9e-
ment and delight ef5ab, the first shoot oe .
young mSngo-tree, with its small light.eos-
ored leaves, makes its appearance. SsSs"
years ago, was the spectator of such scene
At Madras, where had gone on sick leave,
and was glad of any amusement to relieve
the Inonotony of forced confinement in the
house. I had shrewd suspicion that II
could examine this tree Of miraculous growth
it would turn out very simple affair. Act
ing on this ioea, suddenly seized it, and, in
spite of the clamor of the jugglers, bore 1t Oft
Ii certainly had the appearance Of real
mango shoot. There was the dirty stone,
wet and discolored, with the earth clinging
to it. From its lower part, the white hbres
Of the recent root streaned out with a most
natural appearance. whilst from the upper
side sprang . perfect young SHOOT SIX or
eight inches in height, with the leaves IN
their earliest growth. \ basin Of water solved
the mystery, for, on washing the stone, l
found it old and dry, and split down on one
side From its cavity took out small bun
die Of grass roots, one end OF which was tieo
with thread, aud withdrew the young shoot
Of the mango from the top Of the stone. Here
you have only one part of the apparatus OF
deception. IL is perfected in the following
manner = The mango, an evergreen, grows
IN aimokt every large garden in India.
confederate frat pulls sufficient quantity
OF the roots Of grass which arr white, long.
roots from the mango seed. He ties them
up. inserts the tied end in the cleft stone,
and gives them secretly with the cloth to h's
chief, who plants 4 mango stone before your
eyes, and whilst putting the cloth over the
basket, dexterously withdraws it, and sub
s,i;utes the stone th the roots. The moist
earth in which it is buried removes all ap-
pearance Of deception. .lgain the con'eder-
ate is ready with his progressive slips OF man
go, which, at every removal oi the basket,
he contrives to place within reach of the op-
orator without being seen; and the latter, in
his manipuiat ons whist covering up the bns-
ket with the cloth, slips them into the upper
part of the slit in tile mango-stone. The
same process may be continued so as to give
you the fruit growing in It's various stages,
but this OF course must depend on the trick
being performed in the fruit season. l wal
twenty three years in India, and never met
with any body who could explain the nodus
eporuneis Of thss trick. thoash almost ali-noi
all.-felt satisfied that it was a atrick-Chu"''