The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-14
ART OF GROWING BLOTs.
An Interesting Experiment and the
Implements for Trying 1t.

Implements for Trying 1t.
This paper concerns blots-blots OF ink
made on blott1ng paper, grown and Gull
tfvated with care, until perhaps after
many hours close attention, thew have
assumed shapes of delicate pattern and
extreme beauty
IL the reader has never before heard of
beautiful ink blots-and certainly the
words would appear paradoxical-let him
read on and maybe he will become 90
fascinated with the idea that he will take
up the hobby of cultivating blots with
enthusiasm.
1t must be explained that the blots I'M
der discussion are not made up bv mere-
ly filling a rem with ink and ALLOWING the
drops to fall On paper; they are grown
ana watched with anxious care until thew
attain their full measure of beauty and
form. They may be made with ordinary
placK or blueblack writing ink Or with
colored inks, or with mixtures of sew
eral kinds Of inks; and as a blot grows
the colors of the ink sometimes form
into Inherently colored concentric rings.
each co4or ring being sharply divided
from the next.
In order to grow beautiful blots you
only require small basin, an ink bottle.
a piece OF glass tubing or a firm straw,
a piece of soft lampwick, and. of course
some ink and blotting paper. The ink
bottle Is placed in the basin and is filled
with ink The wick is inserted in the
tube, Which Is placed in the ink bottle
and is kept in an upright position bv a
bit of paper or tin with a hole in the
center The blotting paper is then
placed over the basin so that it's center
touches the slightly protruding wick.
The blotting paper thus fed by the wick
he i,ol-
In the form Of "a circle and gradually
widens to the force of capillary attrac-
tion In less than an hour it will proba-
bly, be four inches across it may finally
attain diameter of about twelve inches
1t must not be supposed that there Is
anything at all difficult in the way of blot
growing. If you have not a basin, a
WICK, or tube at hand, dispense with
/ the basin, put any extemporary wick
say piece from towels fringe-in any
| eXtemporary tube-a piece of a quill pen
for instance and place the wick and tube
in the ink bottle; arrange matters so
! that one end of the wick touches the
| ink and the other end touches the blot
! ting paper, and wait for the blot to de-
velop.
Your interest will grow with the blots
1t will be observed that the edges of the
circles into which the bots form are
! sometimes Serrated or da1nt1ly Scalloped !;
although some inks preserve a perfectly
smooth outline for each of the two, three,
or more concentric circles into which they
may break. 1t becomes Accordingly in
! teresting tc observe the different develop
ments caused by various inks; every new
experiment yields new result.
When a blot has been grown with a
certain kind Of ink 1t is interesting to
dilute the ink with water and then to
grow another blot and note the difference,
which will often be surprising. Or this
experiment may be varied by feeding a
blot with plain water after it has grown
with undiluted ink; the water will often
cause the original blot to spread in a
most remarkable and unexpected manner.
-Pearson's Weekly.