JOINING OF THE ROD. 37 



the latter objection, and if used at all, should be 

 used very sparingly. Hickory and bamboo, parti- 

 cularly the latter, are best suited for tops, and we 

 think the greater part, if not the whole, should be 

 made of bamboo. The strength of bamboo lies in 

 the skin, and in order to turn this to the best 

 account, rod-makers lay two or three slits together, 

 so as to form a complete skin all round. This is 

 much more troublesome than making it of one piece, 

 but is more durable, and with good usage will never 

 break. Eods are sometimes made entirely of bam- 

 boo, but they possess no advantage over those in 

 common use, to compensate for the additional ex- 

 pense a twelve-foot rod of this material costing <3 

 or <4. For our own use we are exceedingly partial 

 to rods made entirely of cane, with the exception of 

 the top, which is bamboo. They are stiff, strong, 

 and very light ; the only objection to them is, that 

 they are liable to take a bend, unless the angler 

 takes care to straighten the pieces before putting 

 them past. 



Great diversity of opinion exists ag to how the 

 different pieces of a rod should be put together when 

 intended to be used. Some anglers, ourselves in- 

 cluded, prefer the tie system, for the following 

 reasons : A tied rod is not nearly so liable to break 

 as one with brass joints ; the wood of a rod requires 

 to be thinned in order to put the brass on, rendering 

 them liable to give way at the joints a fact which 

 the experience of all anglers will confirm. A tied 



