The other day, I was working on a project requiring the use of burlap, and I wondered what burlap is actually made of! Time to take a cup of tea and do some research, and this is what I found out.
Burlap is made from fibers of the jute plant. It has been a popular "fabric" for hundreds of years. In the 1700's, the British brought some of the plant to England, and eventually it traveled to bonny Scotland, where the Scots managed to take the coarse jute fibers and turn them into something that could be used more readily, burlap. Eventually, burlap began to be manufactured right in India, which was a lot more convenient since the jute plants grew there.
The jute plant loves a warm, wet, climate, and thrives in a monsoon climate. It can tolerate temperatures up to 40 degrees. Its home is India and Bangladesh. The plants don't need fertilizers or pesticides, making them easy to grow. And they are easy to grow in another way, because jute can be grown in four to six months.
The jute fibres themselves can be woven into tough, strong threads which make burlap as we know it.
Burlap is extremely popular because it is cheap and practical, and comes second only to the world's most used fibre, cotton. One article I read said that the jute fibres are "lingo-cellulosic". That fancy term means that the fibres are made up of cellulose, which is plant fibre, and lignin, which is a wood fibre. So the jute fibres are partly textile, partly wood. Isn't that interesting?
I also read that jute falls into the bast fibres, which means the fibres are collected from the skin of the plant. Flax and linen would also fall into this category.
Another little factoid: another name for jute fibre is Hessian. And in some European countries, the burlap bags are called gunny sacks. Here we call them burlap. A fabric by any other name could not be more practical: we use burlap to store our potatoes, wrap our cedars, and even cover our perennials. It is 100% biodegradable, and because is has high strength and is breathable, it's perfect for packing agricultural products. And it has good insulating properties.
What a gift from nature! After what I learned about jute and burlap, I have a new appreciation for this wonderful plant!
Thank you to everyone who helped to make the Fall Plant and Bulb sale such a success: everyone who brought plants, those who helped set up and work at the sale, and of course, all the gardeners who purchased plants! Thank you, everyone!
The next regular meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society is on Wednesday, October 20 at 7 p.m. in the Yorkdale Student Centre. Our special guest for the evening will be Maira Waechli, from Florissima, doing a demonstration of Christmas Floral Arranging. Any of you who are familiar with Maira's work know how stunning her floral designs are, so it will be fun to see how she creates some Christmas beauty for us! Everyone is welcome! That's Wednesday, October 20.
Yard work continues; I think many of us will agree that we will be happy to put this year's garden "to bed" and look forward to next year instead! But it's great to be outside, I just love the cooler fall air! Have a great week!
