The San Saba weekly news. (San Saba, Tex.) 18??-1???, 1891-11-13
INDIAN JuooLEes.
How They Perform the Tree-Grovinz
Trick wlthous Detection.

| AElCA WAhnOuu 1eEeCt1Qu.
Two Of the tricks of the Ind an
iugglers are especially famous-the
''tree-growing trick" and the .baske,
trick. " says the Youths Companion.
As commonly described in travellers,
tales, the tree-growing trick migh.
well seem impossible OF explanation.
But II the spectator expects to see a
seed planted in the ground, the leaves
starting up above the soil the growth
increasing, the shrub spreading and
the fruit appearing and ripening d.
rectly under his eyes he will be griev-
ously disappointed.
The juggler makes a heap of moist
earth, perhaps six or eight inches
high, on the stone step, or the hard
carriage drive in front OF the hotel
where the traveller is staying. Tho
juggler himself dressed in a loin
cloth only, squats on the ground be-
hind the heap places in it nut usu-
ally that Of the mango tree, and
spreads a cloth over the whole.
After short time, during which he
waves his hand in the air or assumes
To call upon a pagan divinity to help
him. he snatches away the cloth, and
two or three leaves are seen appear
ing above the soil.
He spreads his cloth over it once
more. The plant appears to be grow
ing rapidly and pushing the cloth up.
The juggler again snatches the cloth
away and large and wide-spreading
shrub is seen. its leaves covered with
dew.
Sometimes tripod frame Is used.
over which the cloth Is thrown,
so that the plant may grow" freely
beneath the small tent thus formed.
When the leaves are Just visible
above the ground tho Juggler lifts tho
plant from the earth and shows the
spectators how the nut has apparently
swollen and terminated. pointing out
the rOotlets that extend from the nut
through the moist earth.
II. when it has fully grown, there
is no fruit on the tree. the juggler
covers the plant once more with the
cloth and after another short interval
removes it. Two or three mangoes
are seen. which the juggler breaks off
and presents to the spectators.
The best performance of it 1 have
ever seen was IN Madras. and learned
from the iugglers exactly how it was
done
When the juggler apparently places
the new mango nut in the earth he
really places an old split nut there,
which he has held in the palm of his
hand. The new nut he conceals in
the place previously occupied by the
old nut; in other wol3S he palms" it.
After spreading the cloth he drops
the new nut from his palm into a fold
Of his loin cloth. whence he takes and
'palms" Il small plant two or three
inches long-sometimes a little twig
OF mango with the root of another
plant fastened to the end of it
This he does while the attention Of
the spectators is given to the waving
OF his other hand in the air. or to
his gestures upward for the help of o
god.
He then removes the cloth for the
first time. No leaves appear. While
replacing the cloth he inserts the root
end of the twig in the old nut and ar
ranges the soil so that the top of the
stem and one or two small leaves ap-
pear above the surface.
This done. and the cloth being fully
spread he waves his hands again in
the air, and after a short time removes
the cloth for the second time, and re-
veals she plant in its first stage.
While with one hand showing the
plant with it's roots. &c, 10 the spec
tators. he takes with the other hand
from his loin-cloth piece of branch
cut an inch or more in diameter, which
is well provided with twigs and leaves.
All of these are pressed close to the
branch and the whole wrapped around
tightly with a piece of wet cloth. 1
have seen this branch as much as a
foot and half long.
The juggler conceals this behind his
bare arm, and with a swift motion
slides it under the cloth while he is
apparently replacing the small plant
hllo SpIcuulHs llle Cloiu ne I'M
wraps the branch and sticks it into
the soil, expands the twigs and leaves,
and squeezes over them the water from
the wet cloth. Then, 'palming'' and
Withdrawing tho small plant. he pro-
ceeds as before with his gesticulationa
removes the covering and shows the
spreading shrub.
In the same manner he slips the
fruit, provided with stalks, under the
cloth. in the next stage, and twists the
end Of each stalk round one OF the
twigs. When he pulls the fruit after
ward he takes care to break the stalk
close to the fruit
The cleverness lies in the wonderful
iexterity which the jugglcr displays
in making his important movements
without being observed
Scarcely one OF my readers even
with this knowledge OF the way in
which the trick is done would actual
ly see the iuggIer make any one of
the movements which he desires to be
concealed.