[Cob] straw chopper

[Raduazo at aol.com]

My favorite way to get short straw is to feed hay  to a horse. The horse 
chops it all up for you and his digestive system removes  all the sugars and 
carbohydrates, then he poops out ready to use chopped  straw.
    I find that I can get brighter colors when I am  using red or yellow clay 
by washing the horse manure. To do this put it in a  drywall bucket, add 
water and swirl it around with a paint or drywall mixer.  Then pour off the manure 
tea through a 1/4 inch screen, and do it again three or  four times. 
Eventually the water will come out more or less clear and you have  finely chopped 
clean cellulose ready to use in an earth plaster.
    You also have 20-30 gallons of manure tea for your  tomatoes, beans or 
any crop which is going to be cooked or washed  clean (Not for things like 
lettuce or spinach which are eaten raw  in my house and can not be satisfactorily 
washed.)
Ed