46 AMATEUR RODMAKING 



larity. Some are stained unevenly before they 

 are split, and when the strips are matched and 

 glued these mottled places appear here and 

 there on the rod, giving the effect that is so 

 pleasing to anglers of the old school who, 

 through custom, prefer the mottling to the 

 white enamel of unburned canes. The staining 

 is a harmless process, and may be produced in 

 several ways. 



Tonkin differs materially from Calcutta. 

 The nodes or knots are smaller and less trouble- 

 some, and in the rough beveling you can plane 

 through the knots with safety. This cane is 

 much coarser than Calcutta, harder, and in 

 breaking a strip the surface gives way in long 

 splinters, leaving softer pith strata which are 

 tough but not springy. Because of its greater 

 stiffness it is used for tournament rods. It re- 

 sembles somewhat our Southern canes, but its 

 surface is darker and the fibers reddish. It is 

 harsh and glassy, soon dulls the edge of the 

 plane, and must be handled carefully or the 

 hands will be cut and scratched. 



It does not follow that, because some rods 

 are made with double enamel, it is the better 

 method. If first class bamboo is used, and the 

 strips are well made and perfectly fitted, noth- 

 ing can surpass the plain hexagonal rod; but 



