JOINING OF THE ROD. 39 



last-mentioned are too brittle and too heavy, press- 

 ing severely upon the middle pieces, and causing 

 that excessive pliancy which spoils a rod for all 

 useful purposes. Lance, though not so brittle, is 

 open to the latter objection, and if used at all, 

 should be used very sparingly. Hickory and 

 bamboo, particularly the latter, are best suited for 

 tops, and we think the greater part, if not the 

 whole, should be made of bamboo. The strength 

 of bamboo lies in the skin, and in order to turn 

 this to the best account, rod-makers lay two or 

 three slits together, so as to form a complete skin 

 all round. This is much more troublesome than 

 making it of one piece, but is more durable, and 

 with good usage will never break. Rods are some- 

 times made entirely of bamboo, but they possess 

 no advantage over those in common use, to com- 

 pensate for the additional expense a twelve-foot 

 rod of this material costing ^3 or ^4. For our 

 own use we are exceedingly partial to rods made 

 entirely of cane, with the exception of the top, 

 which is bamboo. They are stiff, strong, and very 

 light ; the only objection to them is, that they are 

 liable to take a bend, unless the angler takes care 

 to straighten the pieces before putting them past. 



Great diversity of opinion exists as to how the 

 different pieces of a rod should be put together 

 when intended to be used. Some anglers, ourselves 

 included, prefer the tie system, for the following 

 reasons : A tied rod is not nearly so liable to break 



