From the Amnerican Heritage Dictionary :-
REGIONAL NOTE: A large sack made from loosely woven, coarse material goes by 
a variety of names in regional American English. The most general term is 
burlap bag, known everywhere but used especially in the Northeast. In the 
Midwest and West the usual term is gunnysack, which ultimately comes from the 
Sanskrit word gon, meaning “jute or hemp fiber.” In the Upper South such a 
sack is called a tow sack, and in Eastern North Carolina, a tow bag. (The 
word tow is another synonym for fabric made from jute or hemp and probably 
derives from an Old English word for “spinning.”) In South Carolina and 
adjacent parts of Georgia, it is called a crocus sack, and in the Gulf 
states, a croker sack, both terms deriving from the word crocus. According to 
Craig M. Carver, who draws on the research of Walter S. Avis, “Crocus is a 
coarse, loosely woven material once worn by slaves and laborers and common in 
colonial New England. It probably took its name from the sacks in which 
crocus or saffron was shipped.” Though the term crocus sack virtually 
disappeared from New England by the end of the 19th century, it survives in 
the South


Growing up just prior to WWII, these sacks were generally not burlap but a 
rough white material that usually has print and other images.  They usually 
contained seed or other agricultural matter.   Called them crocus  sacks.

      Peter in Richmond 
 

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html