48 



Perennial Crops 



DOCK AND SORREL 



Perennial deep-rooted liardij lierhs grown for the radical 

 leaves appearing in spring, prized for greens. The plants 

 require no special care, but the better the soil the more 

 abundant will be the supply of foliage. They may be 

 placed at one side of the garden and remain undisturbed 

 for a few or several years, until they begin to run out. 

 Propagated by seeds and division. 



Some of the weedy docks are gathered in spring for 

 " greens." The roots of some of them provide old family 

 remedies. The sorrels are known for their acid leaves. 

 They are members of the large genus Eumex (Polygonaceae, 

 Buckwheat family). The sorrels are dioecious plants (sexes 

 separated on different plants), while the docks are larger 

 and have perfect flowers or the plants may be monoecious, 

 (sexes separated in different flowers on the same plant). A 

 few species are cultivated for the edible foliage, but they 

 are little known in this country, and technical descrip- 

 tions are not necessary. Some of them are desirable ad- 

 ditions to the garden because they yield a pleasant food in 

 very early spring, and, once planted, remain for years. 



The spinach dock or herb patience {Rumex Patientia) , 

 native in Eurasia and somewhat run wild in North Amer- 

 ica, is a very stout herb with a deep taproot and flower 

 stalk reaching 5 to 6 feet high. Seeds may be sown in 

 spring in a row where they are to stand, and leaves may be 

 taken the following spring. The broad crisp leaves appear 

 early in April, when there is nothing green to be had in 

 the open garden, and they can be cut continuously for a 

 month or more. 



