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Hessian (, ), burlap in North America, or crocus in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, is a woven Textile made of fiber crop: usually the skin of the jute plant, or sisal leaves. It is generally used (in the crude tow form known as gunny sack) for rough handling, such as to make bag in which to ship farm products and (although woven plastics now often serve these purposes), and for wrapping tree-. However, this dense woven fabric, historically coarse, is also recently being produced in a more refined state—where it is known simply as jute—so as to provide an eco-friendly material for bags, rugs, and other products.
Hessian cloth 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 former Landgraviate of Hesse (1264–1567) and its successors—such soldiers were called Hessians.
The origin of the word burlap is uncertain, though it appeared as early as the late 17th century. Its etymology is speculated to derive from the Middle English borel ('coarse cloth'), the Old French burel and/or the Dutch language boeren ('coarse'), in the latter case perhaps interfused with boer ('peasant'). The second element is the Dutch word lap, meaning 'piece of cloth'.
In Jamaica and certain parts of the Caribbean (where it is known as crocus),Allsopp, R., ed. (1996). " crocus-bag/sack". Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press. . pp. 178–179. 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 Jamaican Maroons 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.
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 of cement and concrete in the construction industry.
Hessian is also commonly used to make effective sandbags: hessian sacks filled with sand are often used for flood mitigation in temporary embankments against floodwaters, or in the building of temporary or field .
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.
This property also makes it extremely useful in landscaping 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.
Owing to its durability, open weave, naturally non-shiny refraction and fuzzy texture, hessian is often used in the fabrication of for 3D camouflage. It was also a popular material for camouflage scrim on combat helmets during World War II. Until the advent of the plastic "leafy" multi-color net system following the Vietnam War, burlap scrim was also woven onto shrimp and fish netting to create large-scale military camouflage netting.
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 with Whitewash or conventional house paint, creating a less permeable, more rigid, rot-proof wall of a more attractive appearance. Hessian fabric was also used to create simple internal partitions. Roofing was typically corrugated iron, but sometimes canvas, usually with an earthen floor.
Hessian was also used for the internal lining of some slab huts in Australia.
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