RODS AND ROD MAKING. 45 



But my pet rod is leading me into inadmissible digres- 

 sions. To return. — The White cane, which comes prin- 

 cipally from Spain and America, and is a fragile delicate 

 creature compared to its swarthy Indian cousin, is used 

 for roach rods, — " White cane roach rods," as they are 

 temptingly described in the catalogues — and is fit for 

 nothing else. For this one purpose, however, it is per- 

 fection. 



The Carolina cane is also quite inferior to the East 

 Indian. It is much lighter, and longer between the knots, 

 and is employed only in the more common bottom rods. 



Last on the list comes the Jungle cane, a Chinaman 

 principally, but found also in many other parts of Asia. 

 It grows as thick as a man's body, and is put to every 

 variety of use by the Chinese, who amongst other things 

 hollow out the pith and convert the skin into water-pipes. 

 It is this skin or rind only which is of value to the rod 

 maker, and that must be taken from a cane about as 

 thick as a man's wrist. This is split up into narrow slips, 

 and these slips when planed and smoothed down become 

 the solid, grained-looking pieces of wood, so constantly 

 forming the upper splices of top-joints. Some very 

 beautiful rods, composed entirely of spliced cane, are 

 manufactured by Mr. Thomas Aldred, of Oxford-street, 

 London. Some of my readers who are in the habit of 

 using bamboo and cane rods on the ground of their sup- 

 posed much greater lightness, will perhaps be surprised to 

 learn how small the difference in this point really is. I 



