FISHING-ROD JOINTS. 489 



trailing, a good rod-rest becomes of great service in 

 this sort of fishing. When the joints of rods swell 

 and stick fast it is desirable to bear in mind that an 

 easy and safe way of separating them is by heating 

 the ferrule over the flame of a candle or spirit lamp, 

 until it can be readily detached. Never use violence 

 in these cases. Heat will, we may say, always prove 

 effectual. Immovable joints have occurred to ourselves 

 very many times, and we invariably overcame a diffi- 

 culty thus in the end, though we admit it sometimes 

 becomes a difficult matter to arrange. 



The suggestions as to makeshift fishing rods made 

 of bamboo, are in all respects excellent. These arbor- 

 escent grasses (for such they are) have all the qualifi- 

 cations that are required for the very best fishing rods. 

 They are generally perfectly straight, and can be had 

 of any size, length, or strength desired. For those who 

 are not acquainted with the bamboo in its growing 

 state we may just remark that bamboos are of very 

 different sizes, according to the variety they belong 

 to. Some never grow larger than mere whip sticks, 

 others grow to 100 and even 120 feet in length, and 

 nearly as large in diameter at the butt as the human 

 body, were it a circle; but in almost all cases the un- 

 injured cane of the bamboos gradually diminishes in 

 size all the way to the very top. much like a fly rod, 

 and its actual end is often as fine as a horse hair, its 

 shaft being beautifully polished and finished all the 

 way up. Some of the larger bamboos however are 

 somewhat deteriorated for this purpose by branches; 

 these would be of a size not suitable for rods, except 

 perhaps a section near the upper end. But of what- 

 ever size they may be, all are the work of three or 



