Dr. Rush Nutt - (1781-1837)
Dr. Rush Nutt, who built Laurel Hill Plantation about 1815, is known for his agricultural and scientific study for initiating improvements in agricultural implements and techniques and for his civic contributions in early statehood days in Mississippi. A native of Virginia, where his father was a wealthy and successful planter, Dr. Nutt moved to Mississippi Territory in 1805 to become a physician and pioneer planter in early agricultural reforms. Dr. Nutt is generally considered second only to William Dunbar. He developed the Mexican strain of cotton that became popular in the 1830s, commonly referred to as the Petit Gulf variety because it was first grown here. This cotton was easy to pick, immune to rot, and produced fibers of superior quality. Dr. Nutt improved the Whitney Cotton Gin by adding flumes for sorting dirt from the staples. He was first in Mississippi to use a steam engine to drive cotton gins. Dr. Nutt encouraged others to use field peas as fertilizer and to plow under cotton and corn stalks rather than burning them. He popularized contour or horizontal plowing to prevent hillside erosion. He was one of three founders of Oakland College.