Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 4, 1802).djvu/120

dob] S O O and Russia : a good starch may like- wise be extratted from them j and the expressed juice, being some- what acrid, serves as a cosmetic, or a lotion tor piraples, &c. — The young shoots of this, as well as of the following species, may, in the spring, be eaten like asparagus. SQLOMONs-SEAL, tl>e Com- mon, or Co/wallaria multifiora,h. is also perennial ; grows in woods and thickets : and flowers in May or June, This plant is eaten by cows, goats, and sheep; it possesses the properties of the preceding, but in an inferior degree ; and to which it bears so close a resemblance, that it can be distinguished only by its smaller, white flowers, tipped with green; whereas those of the former are larger, though less in number, and white, with a green line run- ning down each segment. Sooju. See Soy. SOOT, a volatile powder, of a deep black colour, and an extremely bitter taste : it arises from burning wood, coal, or other fuel ; or, more stri6tly speaking, from the smoke condensed, and deposited at the sides of diimnies. Considerable quantities of soot are employed in the manufacture of sal ammoniac ; and also by dyers, for imparting a fawn colour to ■wool. — (See vol. ii. p. 207). But the principal advantage derivedfrom it, is, when used as a manure for cold, moist, and clayey meadows, and pastures ; as it is of a warm ameliorating natuYe ; alFords nou- rishment to grass ; destroys noxious Inserts ; protcdts the crop fjom chilling rains ; and prevents the growth of MOSS. The quantity varies in different counties, from 15 to 25, and even 40 bushels per acre; but it ought to-be strewed on the land during tlic winter, and SOR in calm weather, so that the sub- sequent vernal rains may wash it into the soil : for, if its distributiou be delayed till the end of February, or the beginning of March, the great heat then evolved, will afttct the tender shoots of the grass, and occasion a temporary check to its vegetation. Some circums{)e6tion, however, is required, that the soot be genuine ; as the chimney- sweepers frequently mix with it flnely-sifted coal-ashes ; in order to increase the bulk ; but tliis fraud may be easily detected, by the grittiness and uncommon weight of the soot. Sorb. See Servicr-tree. SoKE-THROAT, See QuiNSY. SORREL, the Common, or SoRKEL-i>ocK, llumex Acetosus-, L. a native perennial, growing ia meadows and pastures, where it flowers in the month of June.— This vegetable is eaten by horses, cows, goats, sheep aiid swiiie. — It is cultivated in France and Bri- tain, for culinary purposes ; as, in the former country, its leaves are a frequent ingredient in soups, and also eaten in salads ; in the latter, they are esteemed for their cooling properties, because they tend to allay tliirst; to promote the urinary discharge ; and, when boiled in whey, they afford a palatable drink to persons labouring under inflam- matory fevers. — In Ireland, the sorrel-leaves are used by the lower classes, both as a kind of sauce to flsh, and also with milk : they possess, however, a very austere, acid taste, when raw, insomuch as to divest the teeth of their enamel ; hence they should not be eaten by those whose stomach abounds in acidity. The seeds of this vegetable were formerly used in medicine; but