[Cob] could cob be masonry?

[Damon Howell]

I'm want to get cob passed by inspectors, for all of us. I'm thinking  
of going the "masonry" route. Masonry by definition is the building  
with individual units (the sand in cob), and bound together by mortar  
(clay in cob). Mortar becomes hard when it sets resulting in a rigid  
aggregate structure. They may want to use cement, and the definition  
of cement is a binder which sets and hardens and can bind other  
materials together. Clay was the first mortar and is found in  
structures built more than 4,000 years ago in the east. We can't use  
steel rebar in cob because the cob shrinks away creating weak spots.  
Straw is substituted which is interlocked throughout the structure.  
Straw doesn't rot away inside cob (now why, I don't know). I wonder  
if doing a little trellis work with bamboo in addition to the straw  
would satisfy? Also being one solid wall, instead of many "bricks"  
makes the wall far stronger and less likely to come apart. Let me  
know what you think about this approach.

Damon in GA