![Hemp-sack, Asabukuro, Japan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Hemp-sack%2C_Asabukuro%2C_Japan.jpg)
A burlap sack or gunny sack, also known as a gunny shoe, hessian sack or tow sack, is an inexpensive
bag, traditionally made of fibres which are also known as "tow," such as
hessian fabric (burlap) formed from
jute,
hemp or other
natural fibres. Modern-day versions of these sacks are often made from
synthetic fabrics such as
polypropylene
Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer propylene.
Polypropylene
belongs to the group of polyolefins a ...
.
The word ''gunny'', meaning coarse fabric, is of
Indo-Aryan origin. Reusable gunny sacks, typically holding about , were traditionally used, and continue to be to some extent, for transporting grain, potatoes and other agricultural products. In Australia, these sacks, made of Indian jute, were known traditionally as 'hessian sacks', 'hessian bags' or 'sugar bags'. The term ''tow sack'' refers to their being made of tow,
spun
''Spun'' is a 2002 American black comedy crime drama film directed by Jonas Åkerlund from an original screenplay by William De Los Santos and Creighton Vero, based on three days of De Los Santos's life in the Eugene, Oregon, drug subculture. The ...
broken fibres of hemp or other plants.
Gunny sacks are sometimes used as
sandbags
A sandbag or dirtbag is a bag or sack made of hessian (burlap), polypropylene or other sturdy materials that is filled with sand or soil and used for such purposes as flood control, military fortification in trenches and bunkers, shielding gl ...
for
erosion control, especially in emergencies. Up until the latter part of the twentieth century, when they became less common, the sacks were one of the primary tools for fighting grass fires in rural areas, used while soaked with water when available. Gunny sacks are also popular in the traditional children's game of
sack racing.
Size
A gunny sack holds approximately of potatoes. Although gunny sacks are no longer used to carry them, the common
measurement unit
A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. Any other quantity of that kind can be expressed as a multi ...
of potatoes is still the "sack" among farmers in
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
[South, David B]
"Protect Your Potatoes"
Accessed 2015-06-10.
See also
*
Flour sack
A flour sack or flour bag is a bag or sack for flour. Large bulk bags as well as smaller consumer sizes are available.
Description
A flour sack or flour bag is a bag or sack for flour. Sacks range in size and material.
Package types
B ...
*
Coffee bag
A coffee bag is a container used for shipping and storing coffee. Coffee beans are usually transported in large jute sacks, while coffee sold to consumers may be packaged as beans or ground coffee in a small, sealed plastic bag.
Bulk coffee
La ...
Cultural references
* Referred to as a "tow sack" in "
Polk Salad Annie
"Polk Salad Annie" is a 1968 song written and performed by Tony Joe White.
Its lyrics describe t ...
" by
Tony Joe White
Tony Joe White (July 23, 1943 – October 24, 2018), nicknamed the Swamp Fox, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit " Polk Salad Annie" and for " Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but which was first ...
.
* 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
''Wizard People, Dear Reader'', released in 2004, is an unauthorized alternative soundtrack to ''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'', written by Brad Neely, a comic book artist from Fort Smith, Arkansas.
''Wizard People, Dear Reader'' is a n ...
", the package containing the
Philosopher’s Stone
The philosopher's stone or more properly philosophers' stone (Arabic: حجر الفلاسفة, , la, lapis philosophorum), is a mythic alchemical substance capable of turning base metals such as mercury into gold (, from the Greek , "gold", ...
is referred to as a "silly little gunny sack" by
Brad Neely
Brad Neely (born October 26, 1976) is an American comic book artist and television writer/producer known for his work on television series such as ''South Park'', '' China, IL'' and '' Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio,'' the web series '' ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunny Sack
Bags
Food packaging
Jute