7 8 The Atlantic Salmon 



not so carefully and thoroughly made as those of 

 earlier dates. In balance and casting power up to 

 thirty yards, which is quite as far as any one needs 

 to throw, and generally too far for successful fish- 

 ing from a canoe, as salmon are neither so apt to 

 rise to a very long cast or to take the fly if they 

 do, I think a good fifteen-foot Forrest rod equal 

 to any I have seen. The American split bamboo 

 rods have great power and are light and delight- 

 ful implements to handle ; but many of them 

 have been found subject to a kind of dry rot 

 near the joints, which develops generally after 

 one or two seasons' use, when the rod will some- 

 times break at an ordinary cast without the least 

 previous sign of weakness. This general ten- 

 dency, which perhaps might be prevented by 

 great care of the rods, has made them unpopular 

 here, and in spite of their many advantages they 

 are not much used. It is rather strange that 

 trout rods made of the same material and by the 

 same makers are as durable as any other rods. 

 As between jointed and spliced rods, it is hard 

 to decide, though probably the jointed ones would 

 carry the preference. I believe, however, that a 

 spliced rod is more even in its action than a 

 jointed one, from having no part of it, as ferrules, 



