64 THE HERB-GARDEN 



English people have begun to like it, and there is 

 no difficulty in getting seeds of the plant. 



Sorrel is so much of a vegetable in appearance 

 that we wonder why it should be reckoned as a 

 Herb, and usually relegated to the Herb-garden. 

 There are two kinds — Garden Sorrel and French 

 Sorrel. Oseille large de Belleville is said to be the 

 very best sort for eating, as it is not too acid. The 

 true French Soupe aux Herbes is never made with- 

 out Sorrel. When no apples are forthcoming for 

 apple-sauce. Sorrel-leaves are a good substitute. All 

 the Sorrels are terrible spreaders, and must be 

 kept in check, or they will overrun everjrthing 

 else. 



Myrrhis odorata, or Sweet Cicely, is a Herb of 

 the past, and it surprises us to learn that its leaves 

 were at one time liked in salads. They taste like 

 paregoric. But the plant is pretty enough for the 

 flower-garden, where it sometimes has a place. 

 The spreading verdant foliage is finely cut, like 

 that of ferns. The seeds are full of oil, have a 

 pleasanter taste than the leaves, and in olden times 

 were crushed and used to scent and polish furniture 

 and oaken floors. A curious whiteness is often 

 noticed on the leaves ; they look as if white powder 

 had been sprinklied over them. Apparently the 



