30 



Fig. 6. 



Sorrel, or Sheep Sorrel. 



Rumex Acetosella (L). 



A perennial with running root-stocks. The stem is slender and 

 erect with branches. The leaves are spear-shaped and quite charac- 

 teristic. The flowers occur in recemes and are green in color. The 

 foliage has a pronounced acid taste. 



The seed is 1-16 in. long, triangular, smooth, and shining when 

 naked, but dull brown when invested by its covering. An average 

 plant produces about 10,000 seeds. 



Time of flowering June- September. 



Time of seeding, July-October. 



Propagation — by its running root-stocks, and as an impurity in 

 clover seed, especially Alsike. 



Eradication. Sorrel is usually an indication of a poor, sandy, 

 or gravelly soil. It prefers acid soils, hence liming and manuring are 

 effective remedies when the land is well tilled. The remedies given 

 for the Dock (Fig. 5) are applicable to Sorrel, only it requires more 

 frequent use of the broad shared cultivator, which should be used so 

 as to cut the roots just below the surface of the soil, without bringing 

 up any of the creeping root-stocks. 



