4 The North Country Angler. 



two joints : For, you may observe, that the two 

 branches which grow out at every joint, do not 

 grow out at the same side of the branch for two 

 joints together, but alternately two on one side 

 at one joint, and on the other side at the next 

 joint. This length of two joints, 1 chuse, if I 

 can^ at the thick end of the branch, and split it 

 so that I can have a piece of its full length from 

 either side without a knot ; these pieces will be 

 near three-quarters of a yard long. One of these 

 makes the thick end of the top ; the other joints 

 I split into four, shaving off the bark and the 

 core or pith, and tie every joint by itself. 



I always make a top of the same joint, cut at 

 the same time ; and when I dress the pieces, I 

 take care to place the thick end of every piece 

 towards the thick end of the rod, that-end being 

 naturally a little harder and more solid than the 

 other. I keep my pieces when split and tied 

 together, twelve months at least, and then plane 

 or rasp them taper and square first, then rasp off 

 the arriges, and dress them with a file exactly 

 round, taper and smooth : I make the splice smooth, 

 rub it with shoemaker's wax, but very thin, wrap 

 it close with fine white silk, filing all the outside 

 of the joint so, that when wrapped, it may not be 

 thicker than the joint an inch above it. The 

 finer tops for small fly, are two yards or seven feet 

 long ; the stronger for large fly, trowling with 

 minnow, &c. not quite two yards. I seldom have 

 more than one root for both these tops, and can 

 make a shift with either of them, to do the work 

 that more properly belongs to the other. 



