Flowers at Your Fingertips
By Milbourne Christopher

One by one the magician produces flowers at his fingertips and drops them on a waiting tray. When the tray is filled to overflowing, the magician reaches out again in thin air and produces a huge bouquet.

Method: This is a new and effective use for spring flowers. Previous to the performance a stack of 20 or 30 folded flowers is held under the tray by a clip. Another packet of 20, with strings attached to each, tied together in the usual bouquet fashion, is inserted in a second clip.

When you pick up the tray, your right hand steals the group of single flowers, the other hand cups around the bouquet stack, and masks it completely as your left hand holds the tray.

The closed fingers of your right hand hide the compressed flowers from view. To produce the flowers, press your right thumb against the top folded flower of the packet and push it forward. The flower props open instantly. It seems to appear from nowhere. Drop it on the tray and repeat the process to produce the other single flowers. As each is produced, it should be held a second or two, then dropped on the tray. See the illustration for the exact way to hold the flowers and produce them. E shows the stack in the hand as the thumb presses firmly on the top flower and shoves it forward. D shows the open flower at the moment of production at the fingertips.

Following the production of the last single flower, both hands hold the edge of the tray momentarily. The left hand grasps the bead on the knotted end of the folded bouquet and, holding the bead firmly, moves out and a dozen inches away with lightning speed.

The bouquet materializes instantly. The flowers cover the hand that produces it. This is your applause cue. Walk off with the bouquet in your left hand and the flower-filled tray in your right.

This can be presented under the most rigorous conditions. I have used it in the center of a night club floor. For full effect, use flowers of one color -- red. They show up better and appear to be real flowers. Not so, the blue, yellow, green and purple assortments that are usually used.

Silk flowers, those with silk outer leaves, slide better than paper flowers. I had to cut an eighth of an inch off of the sides of my flowers so that I could manipulate them with greater ease.

A ledge on the tray prevents the flowers from falling off when they are dropped. In the diagram, the tray is perfectly plain, but a colorful design would mask the loads for close work.

Should you wish a larger production, enter with 20 flowers palmed in your right hand. After these have been produced, steal the single load from the tray. Finally, as in the other version, bring the trick to a climax with the bouquet production.