Gunny sack


A gunny sack, also known as a gunny shoe or tow sack, is an inexpensive bag, historically made of hessian formed from jute, hemp, or other natural fibers. Modern sacks are often made from man-made products such as polypropylene.
The word gunny, meaning coarse fabric, derives from an Indo-Aryan language. 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. These are widely seen in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. In Australia, these sacks, made of Indian jute, were known traditionally as 'hessian sacks', 'hessian bags' or 'sugar bags'.
Today they are also sometimes used as sandbags for erosion control. Gunny sacks are also popular in the traditional children's game of sack racing.

Size

A gunny sack holds approximately 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".

Cultural references

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.