FISHING ROD HISTORY 15 



seldom refer to greenheart. Alfred Ronalds, 

 writing in 1836, said: 



" The best materials are, ash for the stock, 

 lancewood for the middle, and bamboo for the 

 top." 



Mr. Ronalds had in mind the whole bamboo 

 which, according to later writers, was first im- 

 ported into England by army officers returning 

 from India. They, however, looked on it with 

 favor because it was ideal for lances, and per- 

 haps their preference for the thick-walled 

 cunes, now called " male " bamboos, led to the 

 belief that was prevalent for many years, that 

 this was better for rodmaking purposes than 

 the thin-walled " female " canes. Exhaustive 

 tests with scientific instruments have proved 

 the thin-walled bamboo better for the pur- 

 pose. 



Theophilus South, in his " Fly-Fisher's Text 

 Book " (London, 1845), prefers ash to willow 

 for butts, hickory for middle joints, and favors 

 tips made from lancewood, cane, and whale- 

 bone, spliced together four and even five 

 pieces in a tip. 



The African greenheart, obtainable in the 

 yards of the importers in Stanley Road, Liver- 

 pool, is probably much better material for fish- 

 ing rods than the greenheart sold in the United 

 States, which comes from various places in the 



