98 THE BOOK OF RARER VEGETABLES 
a trial, and had over a dozen named kinds, British and 
foreign ; some were very much alike, but the best was 
certainly the Belleville and the Green Mountain. The 
chief difficulty with some of the small forms is their 
tendency to run to seed, and when this takes place the 
plant does not furnish good leaves, so that it will be 
seen the more it is cut and used the better for the plant, 
and in all cases the seed stems should be removed as 
COMMON BROAD-LEAVED FRENCH SORREL 
{One-sixth naUiral size) 
soon as they appear. At one time Sorrel was grown in 
the large market gardens near London much more than 
at the present day. This is not surprising, as with 
more gardens the tendency is to grow what may be 
termed popular vegetables, and Sorrel requires more care 
in gathering and packing than many other vegetables. 
It was much used in the spring many years ago, but I 
have frequently been over large gardens where the 
plant was not grown. In addition to its use as a 
vegetable, it makes an excellent addition to the salad 
bowl. It may be lifted and gently forced under 
glass, and supplies had much earlier in the season if 
grown thus. 
