The History of the Lowbush Blueberry Industry in Nova Scotia, 1880 - 1950
Introduction
The wild lowbush blueberry grows in abundance in Nova Scotia and it has long since ceased to be a fruit which is gathered merely for the making of home-made pies and blueberry grunt. Blueberries have become an important source of income for many Nova Scotians. Today, over 19,000,000 pounds of this small fruit are harvested and marketed in 20 foreign countries each year. The development of this industry was a process which took many years and a great deal of trial and error. Blueberries are not common in Europe; therefore, cultivation in North America involved a lengthy learning process into cultural methods for producing the best berry and earning the highest returns.
The purpose of this report is to examine the early growth of the industry in Nova Scotia, of which little has been written.
The report is divided into several sections in order to best deal with the various aspects and practices of the industry. Most of the information used for the report came from the newspapers of the periods, while some of it came from government documents printed at the time and from the personal accounts of Nova Scotians involved in the early industry. It is hoped that this report can provide an outline of the development of the industry which will prove useful to those whose interest lies in the area of blueberry cultivation.
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Updated November 17, 1997
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