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boring whilst the rod is planed up to its proper 

 substance or size, except the tops, which should 

 be well glued-up pieces of bamboo cane, and 

 filed down to their proper sizes to suit the 

 other parts of the rod ; this may be also done 

 by fastening the tongue of the top in the bored 

 joint next in size. The butt should be made 

 of ash, the middle piece of hickory, and the 

 top of bamboo, which is the lightest and 

 toughest of all woods that can be brought to 

 so fine a consistency. The length of the rod 

 for single -hand fly fishing should be from 

 twelve to thirteen feet long — a length which 

 may be used with great facility without tiring 

 the arm. The butt should be easy in the grasp 

 and not a great deal of timber in it ; the next 

 piece to be nearly as stout as the butt above 

 the ferrule for a foot and a half, this prevents 

 its being weak at that particular part, which 

 otherwise would cause the rod to be limber in 

 the middle ; the next or fourth piece to be 

 stiffer and lighter in the wood to keep up the 

 top ; the whole rod to stand nearly straight up 

 when held in the hand, and to have a smart 

 spring above, which assists materially in getting 

 out the line when throwing. The splices of 



