I'm no expert on the Calibre DB (in fact, I know bugger all...) however I imagine it serves two purposes. First I would assume that it ensures every folder name is unique. Second, I would imagine that the number corresponds to a numerical "book id" field in the database, making it very easy for calibre to search and find the appropriate file/folder.
Of course, I could also be completely wrong.
*scurries off before being told he hasn't a clue what he's talkiing about*
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