92 FLY FISHING FOE TROUT. 



Ten years later still Francis, though he refers 

 to the noble qualities of greenheart for salmon 

 rods and had his four salmon rods made almost 

 entirely of it, yet had not a single joint of 

 greenheart in the four single-handed trout rods 

 he portrays : one was a hollow cane with an 

 ash butt, two all of hickory, and one of 

 triangular glued cane. He thought the Castle 

 Connell salmon rod all of greenheart then 

 coming into fashion so topheavy and small in 

 the butt as to be entirely detestable. 



Like most fishing inventions the split cane 

 rod, composed of sections split lengthways and 

 glued together, is far older than generally 

 imagined. But here it is necessary to 

 distinguish between the rod composed of two, 

 three, or four sections, which is old, and the 

 rod composed of six similar sections, which is 

 more modern. The four-sectioned rod is first 

 mentioned by Snart in 1801. Bamboo, briar, 

 and elder were divided lengthways into four 

 pieces, thick enough to form the joint. Bamboo 

 was preferred for fine tops, but briar was 

 cheaper and little inferior, and could be 

 found plentifully in old hedges. It must be 

 thoroughly seasoned before it is split, or the 

 sections will warp in drying. Elder is rather 

 brittle, and was never used when cane or briar 

 could be procured. The split cane rod came 

 steadily into fashion, and is mentioned by 

 nearly all writers from 1840 onwards. Three 

 London tackle makers, Aldred, Bernard and 





