FISHING RODS. 75 



in the fact that so many old anglers, as Thaddeus Norris, 

 Reuben Wood and Chas. F. Orvis, having the mechanical 

 skill to construct their own rods, discarded the latter for 

 the former style of joint many years ago. And, more- 

 over, they all seem to have arrived at this determination 

 and conclusion independently of each other. Many of the 

 most valuable improvements and inventions have been made 

 in like manner, each one supposing himself to be the sole 

 inventor. 



I have often thrown apart the tapered and doweled joints 

 of the old style rods in casting with both fly and bait rods, 

 and have had them break near the lower end of the female 

 ferrule, in consequence of too deep a mortise at that point ; 

 but with the cylindrical, non-dowel joint I have never had 

 either accident to occur. 



The cause of the separation and throwing apart of the 

 dowel-mortise joint I conceive to be this : the ferrule, 

 dowel, and mortise being made tapering, the male ferrule 

 with its dowel acts as a wedge, and the continual springing 

 of the rod in casting tends to loosen this wedge, and to 

 eventually separate the joint, in the same way that we ex- 

 tract a nail by working it from side to side. This fact can 

 be easily demonstrated by separating the tapered dowel 

 joint by working it back and forth in this manner, with the 

 hands close to the ferrules. But it can not be done with 

 the flush cylindrical ferrule joint; to separate the latter it 

 is necessary to pull or twist it apart, for no amount of 

 springing it back and forth will loosen it. This fact renders 

 nugatory and superfluous all locking devices, screws, cleats, 

 and strings, which have been proposed to secure the joint, 

 and prevent its separation in casting. 



In July, 1886, I used a split- bamboo salmon fly-rod with 



