April, 1919] 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



with the exception of such as were feeding on the 

 sugar, led one to suspect that the sugar might be 

 related to the manna of commerce, obtained from 

 several species of ash (Fraxinus) as an exudate 

 wh]ch assumes the form of flakes or fragments. 



When specimens were received, however, in the 

 summer of 1914, it was seen that none of the pre- 

 viously recorded sugars corresponded with the pe- 



and pending the results of the analysis which was 

 then being carried out by Dr. F. T. Shutt, Dominion 

 Chemisi:, at Ottawa. 



APPEARANCE OF THE SUGAR. 

 The sugar appears as white masses varying in 

 size from '/4 of an inch to I J/2 or 2 inches in diam- 

 eter. The smaller masses are formed like white drops 

 at the tips of single leaves, occasionally two or three 



Brancli of Douglas fir laden with white masses of .sugar. 

 (From B. C. Hot. Office Rep., 1914). 



culiar masses formed by Douglas fir. A careful 

 search for information as to its chemical analysis 

 revealed nothing to show that even its occurrence 

 was known. On account of its interest and novelty 

 at the time, the photograph in the Botanical Office 

 Report was supplied to record its occurrence and 

 illustrate the phenomenon, pending an investigation 

 into the circumstances under which it was formed. 



leaf-tips are inbedded in larger drops, while the 

 largest masses are usually scattered irregularly over 

 the leaves and branchlets. 



The sugar tastes decidedly sweet, passing tempor- 

 arily into a pasty consistency during dissolution in 

 one's m.ou'h; it is completely soluble. When col- 

 lected it IS quite hard and dry, with no tendency to 

 be sticky. A slight rain is sufficient to dissolve the 



