206 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



Oyster Plant, or Salsify. — It is surprising that so 

 few persons cultivate this delicious vegetable. They are 

 planted and cultivated similar to carrots or parsneps, 

 and like the latter, may be suffered to remain in the 

 ground through the winter, and dug in the spring as soon 

 as the frost is out of the ground. They are cooked in 

 different ways. One is to boil them in clean water, and 

 mash them and mix with flour into batter and fry them. 

 Another, to cut them up in small mouthfuls, and after 

 boiling soft, make a gravy of flour, butter, &c. and add 

 to them, and really they are a rich substitute for oysters. 



School Books. — There is a criminal fault existing in 

 community, not only in the quality of the matter of 

 school books, but in the manner that they are printed. 

 I have of late observed several school books, printed 

 with a very small type, upon poor blue looking paper, 

 and in every particular bore a near relationship to "Pin- 

 dar's Razors." No good man would be guilty of publish- 

 ing such books for the use of children. It is a down right 

 robbing of their honest rights. It is sufficiently painful 

 for a child to learn to read out of good round fair print. 

 To illustrate, I beg you to put this article in such type 

 as should only be used for children's reading books. It 

 is of no consequence that it takes more paper. That 

 article is cheap, and for school books, should always be 

 of the best quality. And I hope every man who reads 

 this article, will hereafter reflect when about to purchase, 

 that in buying one of these made-to-sell cheats, he is 

 about to do a positive wrong to his child. Buy none but 

 the best. See that the type, paper, and binding are good. 

 And finally, be assured that this good advice is given by 

 one ardently devoted to the cause of education and human 

 improvement, and your old Indiana friend, 



Solon Robinson. 



Lake C. H. la., March 28, 1841. 



