44 AMATEUR RODMAKING 



Various reasons are given to account for the 

 burning of the bamboos by the natives of India. 

 The late Henry P. Wells, who studied the ques- 

 tion carefully, gives six reasons, as follows : A 

 religious ceremony; roasted over a gridiron to 

 kill borers; also to burn off adhering leaves and 

 vines; for ornamental purposes; accidentally 

 burned in firing jungles to destroy creeping 

 vines; seared with hot irons in straightening. 

 He leaves it to his readers' fancy to decide. 



J. J. Hardy, himself a rodmaker, in his 

 " Salmon Fishing," says the natives lay the 

 more crooked canes in fires made of grass and 

 leaves, to soften before attempting to straighten 

 them. "While this firing doubtless solidifies 

 the sap and hardens the cells greatly," he 

 writes, " it destroys fully 50 per cent, of the 

 bamboos for rodmaking by burning through 

 parts of the outer skin, the effects of which 

 may be seen in the very dark blotches. Where 

 this appears the material is worthless, all the 

 original structure having been destroyed. It 

 has been very difficult to persuade the natives 

 to adopt special methods of heating for the 

 purpose of straightening, in order to avoid this 

 overburning; but it is satisfactory to know that 

 better methods, under strict supervision, are 

 now being employed." Mr. Hardy says it is 



