RODS 7 



the action unimpaired. Others may have been less 

 fortunate in their choice. Seasoning and age play no 

 small part, and the timber varies in respect of whether 

 it is new or old growth and whether taken from the 

 centre or the bark of the tree. On the straightness of 

 the grain depends the rod's strength. The piece of 

 greenheart used should be rent and not sawn if an 

 ideal and straight-grained wood is to be obtained. 

 This is a timber that will withstand any climate and 

 last a lifetime. 



Whole cane is now greatly in favour for the manu- 

 facture of rods on account of its lightness in weight 

 and its natural quickness of recovery. The canes to 

 be used should be thoroughly dried and hardened 

 beforehand. Both Tonking and East India canes are 

 largely used. Japanese yellow bamboo is not in 

 favour. 



The terminations of the joints beneath and a little 

 beyond the ferrules should always be plugged for 3 or 

 4 inches in order to reinforce the cane where the chief 

 strain falls. However, there is as a set-off to the 

 advantage in the matter of weight one drawback 

 which has kept the built cane variety to the fore and 

 that is that whole cane is liable to become over- 

 strained if misused, and therefore rods of this descrip- 

 tion are occasionally to be met with slightly bent on 

 one side, and the action weakened, though all rods 

 have an inclination in this direction, but in a lesser 

 degree. There is no permanent cure for this malady 

 except a patent process called " ribbing." Nothing 

 has tended so much to bring about the present-day 

 popularity of whole cane rods as this application of 

 plaiting or wire lacing. It consists of flat steel or 

 phosphor bronze plated wire (which is rustless) plaited 



