[Cob] cobbing in the South

[todd keith]

My brother and I are preparing to start a cob structure in the south 
and are curious if anyone has experimented with pine straw vs. straw in 
a cob wall or building? When sourcing straw here, you run into folks 
wanting to sell you hay rather than straw. Not as much oats, wheat 
grown down here as far as I know.

We have concerns over pine needles providing near the same tensile 
strength as straw, but as a local source readily available and pretty 
much free, seems worth considering.

Thanks,
Todd
toddkeith at charter.net