Hessian (UK:/ˈhɛsiən/,US:/ˈhɛʃən/[1]),burlap in North America,[2] orcrocus in Jamaica[3] and the wider Caribbean, is a wovenfabric made ofvegetable fibres: usually the skin of thejute plant,[4][5][6] orsisal leaves.[7] It is generally used (in the crudetow form known asgunny) for rough handling, such as to makesacks in which to ship farm products andsandbags (although woven plastics now often serve these purposes), and for wrapping tree-root balls.[8][9] However, this dense woven fabric, historically coarse, is also recently being produced in a more refined state—where it is known simply asjute—so as to provide an eco-friendly material for bags, rugs, and other products.
Hessian cloth[10] comes in different types of construction, form, size and color. The name "hessian" is attributed to the historic use of this type of fabric as part of the uniform of soldiers from the formerLandgraviate of Hesse (1264–1567) and its successors—such soldiers were calledHessians.[11]
The origin of the wordburlap is uncertain,[11][12] though it appeared as early as the late 17th century. Its etymology is speculated to derive from theMiddle Englishborel ('coarse cloth'), theOld Frenchburel and/or theDutchboeren ('coarse'), in the latter case perhaps interfused withboer ('peasant'). The second element is the Dutch wordlap, meaning 'piece of cloth'.[13]
Hessian was first exported from India in the early 19th century.[5] It was traditionally used as backing forlinoleum, rugs, andcarpet.[5]
In Jamaica and certain parts of the Caribbean (where it is known ascrocus),[14] enslaved Africans on the plantations were not generally given pleasant materials with which to make clothes. A lucky few had access to cotton that was spun, woven, cut and sewn into serviceable clothing (often called homespun), while others had to make do with whatever other materials they could find. Some repurposed discarded hessian sacks, fashioning their rough fabrics into garments that—although rough, itchy and uncomfortable—provided some protection from the heat and dust. A traditional costume of JamaicanMaroons uses fabric very similar to this material as a way of drawing an affinity and paying homage to the resourcefulness and creativity of their enslaved ancestors. For the rest of the population, it was used to make bags for carrying coffee beans and other items, edible or not.[3]
Hessian is often used to make gunny sacks, and to ship goods likecoffee beans androoibos tea. It is breathable and so resists condensation and associated spoilage of contents. It is also durable enough to withstand rough handling in transit.
Its durability and handling when wet have also led to its use for temporary protection (as wet covering) to prevent rapid moisture loss during the setting phase ofcement andconcrete in the construction industry.
Hessian is also commonly used to make effectivesandbags: hessian sacks filled with sand are often used for flood mitigation in temporary embankments against floodwaters, or in the building of temporary or fieldfortifications.
The transportation of agricultural products often involves bags made from hessian jute fabric. Hessian jute bags (commonly known as gunnysacks) are used to ship wool, tobacco, and cotton, as well as foodstuffs such as coffee, potatoes, flour, vegetables, and grains. Hessian jute's ability to allow the contents of bags to breathe makes it excellent for preventing or minimizing rotting due to trapped moisture. In some cases, hessian can even be specially treated to help avoid specific kinds of rot and decay.[15]
Hessian is also often used for the transportation of unprocessed dry tobacco. This material is used for much the same reasons as it would be used for coffee. Hessian sacks in the tobacco industry hold up to 200 kg (440lb) of tobacco, and due to hessian's toughness, a hessian sack can have a useful life of up to three years.
Hessian is used to wrap the exposed roots of trees and shrubs whentransplanting. It can also be used for erosion control on recently cleared or disturbed or steep slopes, where it is laid upon the ground to help protect and stabilise the top layers of soil. One major advantage of hessian jute fabric is that, because it is made entirely from natural vegetable fibers, it is completely biodegradable.[16]: 302
This property also makes it extremely useful inlandscaping and agricultural uses that require incorporating fabric support into outdoor projects. Landscape designs that include tree transplantation often rely on hessian jute to ensure that young trees arrive at the planting venue intact and unharmed. This is achieved by wrapping hessian jute fabric around the roots and soil of a tree shortly after digging it from its original location. The breathability of the fabric allows sufficient aeration of the soil, and the hessian's moisture-resistant properties prevent excess water from accumulating and allowing the growth of mold, mildew, or other types of rot. Once planted, young trees may require the protection of hessian jute to ward off mice and other rodents that might otherwise eat their bark and compromise their structure. To keep rodents at bay, landscapers often wrap swathes of hessian jute around the trunks of young trees of all varieties.
In addition to protecting from animals, hessian jute also has the capacity to protect trees from excessive sun and wind. By building windbreaks from hessian jute, landscapers can exert some control over the environment in which young trees grow, thus maximizing their chances of growing to maturity so that they can withstand more intense weather conditions.
For planting grass, on areas that have steep slopes or high levels of soil erosion, a layer of hessian jute tacked on over grass seeds can prevent seeds from being moved by rain, runoff, hungry birds, or wind. Landscapers can use this fabric for many uses due to its strength, durability, moisture resistance, and protective properties.
Hessian bags are often deployed assandbags as a temporary response to flooding. Because of their material, they can either be reused or can be composted after use. Agencies like theState Emergency Service in Australia andTechnisches Hilfswerk in Germany often deploy sandbags, and these are found in the majority of their emergency response vehicles.Plastic bags have been used as a substitute, but SES units have found hessian bags to be more versatile as they can be used in a variety of rescue applications: as an edge protector for rope rescue operations, for use as padding on slings used in animal rescue or used to dampen and beat out bushfires.
Hessian fabric is often used assmoker fuel inbeekeeping because of its generous smoke generation and ease of ignition.[17]
Due to its coarse texture, it is not commonly used in modern apparel. However, this roughness gave it a use in a religious context formortification of the flesh, where individuals may wear an abrasive shirt called acilice or "hair shirt" and in the wearing of "sackcloth" onAsh Wednesday. During the Great Depression in the US, when cloth became relatively scarce in the largely agrarian parts of the country, many farming families used burlap cloth to sew their own clothes.[18][19] However, prolonged exposure to the material can cause rashes on sensitive skin.
Owing to its durability, open weave, naturally non-shiny refraction and fuzzy texture, hessian is often used in the fabrication ofghillie suits for 3D camouflage. It was also a popular material forcamouflagescrim on combat helmets duringWorld War II. Until the advent of the plastic "leafy" multi-color net system following theVietnam War, burlap scrim was also woven onto shrimp and fish netting to create large-scale military camouflage netting.
Hessian has been used by artists as an alternative to canvas made from cotton or linen — that is, it can be stretched (eg, over a wooden frame) to create a painting or working surface.[20]
In the 19th and first half of the 20th century, in Australia, hessian fabric, laid over a crude timber framework, was used to create the walls of primitive dwellings, particularly in mining towns[21][22] and in settlements of unemployed people during theGreat Depression.[23][24][25]
The resulting semi-permanent structures — part way between a tent and a permanent dwelling made of conventional materials — were inexpensive to build. The durability and weatherproofing of the hessian walls were often improved by painting the hessian fabric withlime wash or conventional house paint, creating a less permeable, more rigid, rot-proof wall of a more attractive appearance.[23] Hessian fabric was also used to create simple internal partitions. Roofing was typicallycorrugated iron, but sometimescanvas, usually with anearthen floor.
Hessian was also used for the internal lining of someslab huts in Australia.[26]
