straw

straw, the stalks of grasses, particularly of such cereal grasses as wheat, oats, rye, barley, and buckwheat. When used collectively, the term straw denotes such stalks in the aggregate after the drying and threshing of grain.

Human beings from ancient times have used straw as litter and fodder for cattle, as a covering for floors, for coarse bedding, and even as clothing. The thatched roof, which is still used in some parts of the world, consists of straw laid down to a thickness of 1 foot (0.3 m) or more and secured by strong cords, with the fibres running in the direction to be taken by rainwater. Straw may also be woven to make baskets or hats. Either in its natural colour or dyed in attractive hues, straw is woven into matting for floor and furniture coverings in some regions. In modern industry, chemically pulped straw is used in the manufacture of coarse paper and in a type of cardboard (strawboard) that is suited to the production of cheap paper boxes. Straw has also been used to fabricate sun-dried bricks. The latter are made of clay that is moistened and kneaded and then combined with chopped straw, after which it is dried in the sun or baked in crude ovens. The use of straw in making bricks is mentioned in the Old Testament.