[Cob] reinforcement

[dhowell at pickensprogressonline.com]

  I think bamboo would be a good route to go for reinforcement in  
sustainable building, because it is as strong as steel, they say, and  
it's a weed. Although I've heard some say the straw in cob acts as  
reinforcement, I don't think that is why they use it. It's more to  
keep the wet mix from slumping while the material is drying. But if I  
was to take a sledge hammer to a dry wall, I'm betting the straw  
isn't going to provide much resistance, but I could be wrong. It's  
worth trying. That's the kind of testing I have in mind. Numbers mean  
very little compared to real world, hands on tests like that. I have  
a cob storage shed I never finished that has a 3 foot wall. I'm  
planning on tearing it down and I'll probably video myself doing it.  
That's real information!
Damon