22 



FIG. 6. 



SORREL, OR SHEEP SORREL. 

 Eumex acetosella (L). 



A perennial with running rootstocks. The stem is slender and erect, 

 with branches. The leaves are spear-shaped and quite characteristic. 

 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 pro- 

 duces about 10,000 seeds. 



Time of flowering, June- September. 



Time of seeding, July-October. 



Propagation by its running rootstocks, 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 effec- 

 tive 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 

 rootstocks. 



