206 COMMON WEEDS 



beautiful reddish colour. The fruits are triangular and 

 yellowish-brown, and occur as common impurities in 

 badly cleaned samples of clover and grass seeds. The 

 plant has an acid taste, due to acid oxalates, and has 

 been accused of poisoning live stock. (See p. 308.) 



Sheep's Sorrel is an undesirable plant in grass land, 

 and should be got rid of. It is typically a weed of 

 poor dry pastures, and is regarded as a sign of sour 

 land. It is very common in meadows, and occurs 

 also on arable land. Hall states 1 that in arable land 

 the presence of this plant is a pretty sure sign of the 

 absence of lime. The best way to reduce it is by 

 improving the condition of the land ; to this end 

 systematic manuring should be practised, and an 

 application of lime made at the rate of i ton per 

 acre on light land, or up to 2 tons per acre on heavy 

 or wet land. On heavy land basic slag will be useful, 

 both on account of the lime which it contains and the 

 encouragement it gives to the growth of clovers. 



Common Sorrel (Rumex Acetosa L.) is larger than 

 Sheep's Sorrel. It has a slender, simple stem, i to 2 feet 

 high, with larger leaves on longer stalks than those of 

 R. Acetosella ; the rootstock does not creep below 

 ground as in the latter species, but is a slender tufted 

 tap-root. The small flowers open in May to August, 

 the male and female ones being on separate plants in 

 branched, leafless panicles. This plant is also known 

 as Sourock or Sour Dock, and the leaves are eaten by 

 children on account of their pleasantly acid taste : the 

 practice is not to be recommended. It occurs in most 

 meadows, sometimes in great quantity, but is of no 

 value. If in small quantity only it may be spudded 

 or regularly cut down, but if in quantity it should be 

 mown early. It was found at Rothamsted (see p. 147) 



1 A. D. Hall, Fertilisers and Manures, 1909. 



