FISHING ROD MATERIALS 47 



the difficulty of obtaining good bamboo is great 

 and is increasing, and it is not always possible 

 to get material thick enough to make perfect 

 triangular sections without resorting to the 

 double enamel process in butts and joints. 

 Many rods are now made the centers of which 

 are hollow because of this difficulty of getting 

 material thick enough to make all strips per- 

 fectly triangular in section. 



In an attempt to choose between double 

 enameled hexagonal bamboo and octagonal 

 bamboo, the former may safely be given pref- 

 erence. In an octagonal rod the butt and mid- 

 dle joint are stronger, provided the caliber is 

 large, but eight-strip tips consist of so much 

 glue and so little cane that they will not with- 

 stand so much hard usage as will the six-strip 



Fig. 10. 



Dotted lines show section for double enamel hexagonal 

 rods. 



cane, and frequently give way at the ferrules, 

 particularly if the parts are carelessly twisted. 



