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POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
Museum already possessed the clay models made by Sowerbv during the 
progress of the work, as well as the original drawings for the plates of 
“English Botany,” in which it will he remembered the Fungi were not in- 
cluded. Mr. Berkeley’s gift, therefore, very usefully completes the series of 
original illustrations of British plants in the Museum. 
Age and Leafing of Trees. — M. A. de Candolle has an article in the 
“Archives des Sciences,” which is thus abstracted in the “Academy.” 
He first quotes the replies to queries on the subject from Prof. Decaisne, 
of Paris, and Prof. Caruel, of Pisa, who had both made observations at his 
request. From their observations it would seem that age had nothing to do 
with the date of the leafing of trees, or that the differences observable were 
simply individual peculiarities. In some cases the old and young trees of 
the same species burst their buds at the same time, while in others the older, 
in others the younger, developed their leaves first. But the most valuable 
and original material for affording some light on this subject was “a series 
of observations made upon two trees of the same height above the ground 
during fifty-seven and sixty-eight years respectively.” These observations 
were made upon two horse-chestnut trees at Geneva, and are regarded by 
the learned author as perfectly trustworthy. The average date of the leaf- 
ing of the one longest under observation is 94-9 days after January 1, and of 
the other 93*61 days. Dividing the whole term into six, four, or two periods 
of equal duration, the average dates exhibit no essential progression or retro- 
gression. But it is worthy of remark that during the third period of seven- 
teen years, 1842-58, the average is 2*5 days later than during the fourth 
period, 1859-75. Observations on a grape-vine, by Messrs. Macleod and 
Lanezweert at Ostend, from 1843 to 1875, indicate a gradual forwarding of 
the date of leafing. Thus, during the first period of sixteen years the average 
date was 16 6 days later than the average of the succeeding seventeen years. 
But De Candolle thinks this may be due to diminished vigour or pruning 
and other artificial conditions. In a word, the age of a healthy tree exercises 
no appreciable influence. 
CHEMISTRY. 
Artificial Colouring of Wine . — The adulteration of wine seems to be a 
growing evil in France, and, of course, after the addition cf water, some- 
thing is required to restore the rich colour of the clarets and burgundies. 
Fuchsine appears to be the favourite substance for this purpose, and French 
chemists are constantly bringing forward processes for its detection in wines. 
It is just possible that a knowledge of how to proceed in such cases may 
not be altogether useless even in England. The following are two of the 
simplest processes. M. Lamattina recommends that 100 grammes of the sus- 
pected wine should be mixed with 15 grammes of coarsely powdered peroxide 
of manganese, shaken for about a quarter of an hour, and filtered, when, if 
both the wine and the peroxide of manganese are pure, the filtrate will be 
colourless. But should the peroxide of manganese contain iron, which is 
indicated by the yellowish colour of the filtrate, any fuchsine that may be 
present will combine with the iron, and remain, as an insoluble compound, 
