AllenC wrote:

On 18Jul03, we placed a small order for barley straw. We got an email
confirming our order in seconds. We were charged 19Jul03. We expected
an email with tracking information. That never arrived ...

If you can recommend a good company, please do so =]

Sorry to hear about your experience. I can recommend The Water Garden
for barley straw. I don't know how their price compares to others, but
it arrived quickly and was easy to toss into the pond. Their URL is
http://watergarden.com

Good luck.
--
zookeeper