180 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle. 



ment of rod-making, and who has arranged his affairs, pos- 

 sibly with inconvenience, that he may have a little leisure 

 to devote to this, I know the temptation is great to use 

 material which does not altogether meet his approval 

 particularly if none other be at hand. But he who yields 

 to temptation must expect the incident retribution, and 

 this will prove no exception to the rule. 



Greenheart files, scrapes, turns, and planes well, but like 

 most other rod-woods a keen tool is required. Shavings of 

 this wood from the plane have nothing of the usual ribbon- 

 like character,but crumble during their formation, as if the 

 wood was very deficient in tenacity. Such is not the case. 



It may be bought in the plank at from thirty to fifty 

 cents a foot, board measure, at any of the dealers in hard- 

 wood in Centre Street, New York City. But unless per- 

 sonally selected, knots, crooked grain, season-cracks, and 

 other defects will increase the cost of such portions as may 

 be available. Such planks as I have seen have been from 

 ten to eighteen feet long, one and a quarter inches thick, 

 and from twelve to twenty inches wide. The whole plank 

 must be taken, the dealers refusing to cut it. If to this is 

 added the fact that one-half waste is a moderate loss in- 

 deed, it will be more satisfactory to send for it to one of 

 those houses that make a specialty of supplying amateurs 

 with material. The price demanded may seem severe 

 when compared with the cost in plank, but this is more 

 apparent than real. You may then expect selected and 

 seasoned wood, and may conclude that for every stick 

 you receive, the seller has bought and thrown into the 

 scrap-heap waste sufficient to make three or four. Of 

 course this loss, together with interest on money idle 

 during the seasoning process, must be charged upon that 

 which is merchantable, in addition to its first cost. 



