PREPARATION AND MARKETING 67 



The work is difficult and can only be well done by two 

 strong workers, one of whom takes from eight to twelve 

 rods in his left hand and with his right rubs the butt 

 ends together until he forces the peel for 8 in. back into 

 a rosette or knot ; these peeled butt ends are laid inside 

 the wooden jaws, the top wood is brought down and 

 pressed on to the rods by means of the foot on a cord. 

 The second man grips the butt ends of the rod and pulls 

 them through the break. 



The skins are left behind and fall to the ground. The 

 india-rubber has a soft action on the rods and there is no 

 splitting or bruising. 



This system gives the quickest results, but saves 

 little in cost owing to the high wages demanded by the 

 men who do this laborious work. 



(3) In the West of England the rods are stripped by 

 the use of the fixed breaks in the same way as for 

 " white " rod. The practice is less suited to boiled rods, 

 as they get bruised and split, and their value is greatly 

 reduced. 



The rate paid for peeling buff by hand in 1918 was 

 usually 6d. to 8^d. per bundle, according to the size of 

 the crop, in a green state. 1 The " bundle " is 36 in. 

 in girth, as measured with a strap about a foot 

 from the butt end as the rods lie on the rack behind 

 the peelers. 



The peeled rods are afterwards drafted into different 

 lengths, any rough or badly grown rods being thrown 

 out in preparing high-class material. In this work a 

 wooden standard is used, on which are marked the 

 different lengths : it is fixed on the inside of a tub 

 sunk two- thirds into the ground. The first drafts, 

 being the longest, are called No. i, and vary from 

 1 If the rods are buffed dry, the price is increased. 



