Coal Flowers - cooking recipe

Ingredients

6 Tbsp. water
6 Tbsp. salt
6 Tbsp. bluing
2 Tbsp. ammonia
2 tsp. red ink
lump of coal

Preparation

Place a piece of coal in a deep glass dish.
Pour the liquid around the coal, but not on it.
Dot the coal with the red ink. Do not move the dish and coral-like crystals will soon appear and spread over the coal.
They will grow to a height of about 1/2-inch in a sponge-like appearance and will last for weeks.