Gunny sack
A burlap sack or gunny sack, also known as a gunny shoe or tow sack, is an inexpensive bag, traditionally made of hessian fabric (burlap) formed from jute, hemp, or other natural fibers. Modern day versions of these sacks are often made from man-made (synthetic) fabrics such as polypropylene.
The word gunny, meaning coarse fabric, derives from an Indo-Aryan[1] word. Reusable gunny sacks, typically holding about 50 kg, were traditionally, and to some extent still are, used for transporting grains, potatoes and other agricultural products. In Australia, these sacks, made of Indian jute, were known traditionally as 'hessian sacks', 'hessian bags' or 'sugar bags'.[2] The term towsack refers to them being made of tow, broken fibres of hemp or other plants before spinning.
They are also sometimes used, especially in emergency, as sandbags for erosion control. Gunny sacks are also popular in the traditional children's game of sack racing. Up until the latter part of the twentieth century, when they became less common, they were one of the primary tools, soaked with water if available, used in rural areas to fight grass fires.
Size
A gunny sack holds approximately 50 kg (110 lb) of potatoes. Even though gunny sacks are no longer used for that purpose, among farmers in Idaho, United States the common measurement unit of potatoes is still the "sack".[3]
See also
Cultural references
- Referred to as a "tow sack" in "Polk Salad Annie" by Tony Joe White.
- Referred to in the lyrics of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" - 'He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack'. Indicative of the character's poverty.
- In “Wizard People, Dear Reader”, the package containing the Philosopher’s Stone is referred to as a “silly little gunny sack” by Brad Neely.
- Referred to in the lyrics of Dolly Parton’s “Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That?”
- Referred to in the song "Red Rabbits" by The Shins - 'Out of a gunny sack fall red rabbits'.
References
- "gunnysack". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- Hassam, Andrew (2011). "Indian Jute in Australian Museum Collections: Forgetting and Recollecting Transnational Networks". Public History Review. UTSePress. Vol 18 (2011): 108–128.
- South, David B. "Protect Your Potatoes". Accessed 2015-06-10.
