34 AMATEUR RODMAKING 



Next to split bamboo in the woods easily ob- 

 tainable in the open market comes washaba, or, 

 as it is known in the trade, bethabara. This 

 is a heavy wood, but it is nicely adapted to 

 short bait-casting rods, and one can be made to 

 weigh five to six and one-half ounces, and very 

 slender, that will be exceedingly powerful and 

 full of ginger. Bethabara slightly resembles 

 butternut or a light grade of black walnut in 

 color; with this exception, that when freshly 

 sawed the surface is covered with greenish 

 yellow dust, very heavy and a bit sticky to the 

 touch, giving one the impression that the wood 

 has been sprinkled with yellow ochre. The 

 wood being so hard, the rough saw marks hide 

 the grain, and it is difficult to tell a good piece 

 from a bad one. Look closely at all sides, or 

 better, scrape two sides until the grain will 

 show, and if there are any knots or if the 

 corners show splinters that may be broken off 

 short, discard it and look further. Pound the 

 sticks smartly on the floor and examine for 

 worm holes, which, although very small, are 

 fatal to good material. 



I have said that the wood shows dust of a 

 greenish-yellow color, but this seems partially 

 absent in some bethabara. I prefer the grade 

 which shows this characteristic, and which the 



