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Observations on the Insect Fauna of Permanent Pasture in Cheshire

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Observations on the Insect Fauna of Permanent Pasture in Cheshire VOLUMEVII DECEMBER, 1920 NOS. 2 AND 3 OBSERVATIONS ON THE INSECT FAUNA OF PERMANENT PASTITRE IN CHESHIRE BY HlJBEKT M. MORRIS, M.Sc , (Entomological Dept., Instit ufe of Plant Pathology, Rotharnsted Experimentul Station, Harpenden.) (With 1 Text-fig.) CONTENTS. PAGE 1. Introdiiction ........141 2. 1)escription of the Ihstrict .....141' 3. Ursvription of the Field ......144 4. Chcmic;LI ft.at,urrs of the Area ....143 5. Botanical featiirw of the Area. ....145 6. Methods of Investigation .....146 7. Insects rirciirring in the soil of the Area . 147 8. Inserts ausociatd with the herbagr of the Area . 148 9. Noteworthy spt'cirs in the Insect Fauna . 150 10. Distribution iri lkpth . ....152 11. Discussion of I'revious Work .....153 12. Census of Soil Insects ......154 13. Summary ....... -154 14. Refrrcnces .........165 1. INTROUUCTION. THISinvestigation was carried out between September 1916 and Sep- tember 1917, with the object of obtaining as much information as possible with regard to the insect fauna of a permanent pasture. The field in which the investigation was carried out was chosen as being as nearly as possible typical of all such fields in the surrounding district, which comprises the central and eastern parts of Cheshire. I am inifebted to Dr A. D. Imms for assistance in many ways through- out this investigation; to Mr T. J. Poung, M.Sc., formerly Principal of the College of Agriculture, Holnies Chapel, Cheshire, for permission to use the field in which it was carried out; and to the following gentlemen for assistance in the identification of many of the insects taken : Mr J. M. Brown, R.Sc.; Mr H. Bury, R.*4.;Mr J. Collin: Mr G. T. Lyle; the Rev. F. D. Morice, M.A.; Mr C. Morley ; the Rev. J. \Taterston, B.D., B.Sc. Ann. Blol, VII €0 142 Imect Fama of Permaiietit Pasture The investigation was carried out from the Department of Agricultural Entomology, Manchester University, and the work finally completed at Rothamsted. 2. DESCRIPTIONOF THE DISTRICT. This region is mainly devoted to the production of milk, and a large proportion of the area is occupied by permanent pastures for the grazing of the dairy cattle. The fields in this district are usually small compared with those in other parts of England, about ten acres being a commonarea. They are almost universally separated by hedges of hawthorn, often very much overgrown, and overrun with bramble arid dog-rose, together with holly and occasionally furze-bushes. These hedges often stand on a low bank and, in addition to the above mentioned shrubs, usually contain a few trees, the commonest being the oak. Similar trees are also often found away from the hedges, scattered about the fields. These hedges and trees give the district, when seen from a distance or from a slight elevation, a very well-wooded appearance, whicii. however; is not so noticeable on a closer examination. These trees are almost always rather small and stunted owing, probably, to tbeir being scattered about singly and not usually gathered together in woods or coppices. Another very noticeable feature of the district is the number of ponds which are present, several often being found in a single field. Many of these ponds have formed where pits were dug in order to obtain the marl which underlies this district, and which was formerly spread over the fields, owing to the general shortage of lime in the soil of the district. The small wood indicated on the map consists of beech, oak, alder, ash, and sycamore, with some holly, hawthorn, mountain ash, and elm, with an undergrowth of elder and hazel. The crops grown on the arable fields in the immediate neighbourhood during the period of the investigation were: Field 1916 1917 A Potatoes; oats Oats; wheat B Wheat; oats Oats; clover and grass mixture C Potatoes; mangolds; swedes Wheat; oats D Wheat; oats; rye grass Oats; clover and grass mixture E Clover and grass mixture Clover and grass mixture G Clover and grass mixture; oats Mangolds; swedes; oats; potatoes H Oats Clover and grass mixture I Clover and grass mixture Oata M Temporary pasture laid down 1914 N Nursery of seedling conifers sown 1916, previously pasture P Pot8toea Oats Q Oats Oats R Whsat;oats Swedes; mangolds; clover and grasa mixture HUBERTM. MORRIS 143 Fig. 1. Map of the locality in which the field under observation was situated. Reduced from Ordnance Survey map to a scale of 1075 inches= 1 mile. 10-2 144 Inaect Falrcna of Permarbent Pasture The area marked F on the map is the College garden, in which many kinds of fruit and vegetables are grown. The enclosures marked L are permanent pastures. The enclosure marked 0 is the field in which the investigation was carried out. 3. DESCRIPTIONOF THE FIELD. The field in which this investigation was carried out forms part of the farm of the Holmes Chapel College of Agriculture, and is known as the “Lane Field.” It lies at an altitude of about 220 feet above sea level, and has an area of about 10.2 acres. The Lane Field is roughly rectangular in shape, the longer sides running almost due north and south, with the shorter sides approximately at right angles to them. The field is surrounded on all four sides by hawthorn hedges, those on the north, east and west sides being well grown, thick, and kept fairly clean. The hedge on the south side is older and thinner, the bushes not having been cut back. and it is more overrun with brambles than the other hedges, and also contains a few furze bushes. In these hedges grow several trees, chiefly oaks, with one or two ashes, sycamores, and alders, and there are also six oak trees in a line east and west across the centre of the field, which, with a slight depression beside which they stand, appear to mark the position of a former hedge, which has been removed many years. On the west side, near the south-west angle, is a row of three small ponds lying along the boundary of the field, and on the east side tt row of five similar ponds lies just on and beyond the boundary of the field, while just outside the south-east corner is a small area which is usually rather swampy, where a similar pond has been filled in. The field is almost level, there being a slight slope from the east side down to the west. but this does not amount to more than about five feet. The lowest part is the north-western portion which is liable to become water-logged in very wet weather, and may then have nattr standing in small pools on it for a short time. The soil of the College Farm ‘‘Consists almost entirely of a strong loam of Glacial Drift overlying the Tiiassic: rocks. It shows variations in places from a pure Boulder Clay to a lighter class of sandy loam, the latter occurring in small patches here and there, and being inore niarked round the College buildings and near the main road. There is an outcrop of the underlying Keuper marl along the broken hillside hordering the River Dane, and an area of alluvial deposit immediately adjacent to the stream ” (College Prospectus). HUBERTM. MORRIS The character of the soil of the field varies somewhat, that of the north-western portion probably containing a larger proportion of clay, while that of the south-eastern portion is more sandy. The Lane Field has been a pasture for at least thirty or forty years, and possibly longer, no one in the neighbourhood appearing to remember it having been ploughed. For several years prior to 191’4 the field had received a yearly dressing of bone-meal, but from that date to the period during which the observations were carried out it had been unmanured. The field is regularly grazed by sheep, cattle and horses. 4. CHEMICALFEATURES OF THE AREA. It was considered advisable, in order to define the conditions in the selected field as exactly as possible, to carry out both chemical and mechanical analyses of the soil of the field. Chemical Analysis (inpercentages). Iron (Fe,O,) 2.152. Phosphorus (P,O,) 0.348 Calcium (CaO) 0.57 Aluminium ( AhO,) 2.360 Magnesium (Mg0)0.609 Potassium (K?O) 0.60 Nitrogen (N) 0.210 Sulphates (SO,) 0.066 Mechanical Analysis. Moisture _I. ... ... 1.86 Fine sand (0.2 to 0.04 mm.) 28.53 Organic matter ... ... 6.21 Silt (0.04 to 0.01 mm.) ... 16.94 Stones (over 3 mm.) ... 0.70 Fine silt (0.01 to 0.002 mm.) 6.71 Fine gravel (3.0 to 1.0 mm.) 1.29 Clay (below 0.002 mm.) ... 4.46 Coarse sand (1.0 to 0.2 mm.) 32.40 For the above analyses sainples of soil were taken from various parts of the field, to a depth of nine inches, these samples being afterwards mixed. At a depth of about a foot a stiff stratum was encountered, which appeared to have a much higher proportion of clay. Below a depth of about six inches there was very little organic matter, which is accounted for largely by the fact that most of the grasses were of the shallow rooted kinds. 5. BOTANICALFEATURES OF THE AREA. Relatively few species of plants occurred in the field. The predominant grasses were the Crested Dogs-tail (Cynosurus cristatus) and the Bent grasses (Agrostis spp.). There were, however, patches where Cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata) and Sweet Vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum) 146 1- Fauna of Pernoarnent Pmture predominated.
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