[Cob] Industrial hemp.....

[Quinn]

> My input is to say that NO, other weeds, would not work as well.   Some 
> other fibrous plants may work well, but not just ANY.     Hemp fiber is 
> very strong.


I would think that perhaps kenaf would work well.  It has been tested for many years as a paper fiber (like hemp) which has longer, more durable fibers than wood pulp.  It can grow anywhere cotton can be grown and one can harvest 3 crops a year because of its rapid life cycle.  

It seems like it might be a fabulous addition to cob if more people knew about it.  There was a brief mention at one of the sites Charmaine listed [previous post.]  But there's lots of info about it out there.  The paper industry has been trying to squelch it for 20 years because it makes much better paper (absorbs ink better- less rub off, is whiter with no bleaching [immensely more environmentally sound], and better tear resistance) just the kind of thing industry doesn't want us to have.

If I had a piece of land I'd start in the fall layering organic material over an acre or so, then in the spring plant kenaf, and in the summer -harvest and begin cobbing!

Quinn