Somogy County Research Articles

Adatok Somogy megye kétszárnyú (Diptera) faunájához

This paper presents some so far unpublished faunistical data of the Diptera collecting projects carried out in different regions of Somogy County since the middle of 1970's. The study contains the data of 373 species belonging to the following 7 families: Stratiomyidae (32 species), Bombyliidae (21 species), Therevidae (1 species), Tabanidae (29 species), Syrphidae (177 species), Conopidae (17 species), Tachinidae (96 species).

Somogy megye díszbogarai (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)

MUSKOVITS J.: The jewel beetles of Somogy county (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) Abstract: An annotated list of jewel beetle species collected in Somogy county (Southern Hun- gary) and the relevant literature are presented. The oldest collected specimens date back to about 1875. Of the 119 species known to occur in Hungary, 82 are recorded from the area investigated. Palmar festiva (Linnaeus, 1767) is new to the Hungarian fauna.

A legeltetéses állattenyésztés meghonosításának lehetőségei és korlátai Somogy megyében

Approximately two thirds of the territory of Somogy county is hilly areas. The average of the slopes of the county is 8-11%. Compared to the large regions of Hungary, South Transdanubia has the most precipitation, also, its distribution is the most balanced here. Somogy county is one of the regions in Hungary which have the best ecological endowments for pasturage. Because of the characteristic hilly surface of the county, a rational land use is necessary. In the case of a right land use, the more steep a slope, the smaller the share of plough-land and the larger the share of forest, pasture and meadow. The ideal case would be if grass were dominant on slopes of 17-25% and forests on slopes steeper than 25%. In the territory of Somogy county, large-scale plough-lands can be found on poor quality, steep hillsides. I suggest that grassy areas be planted to replace the plough-lands which have a low fertility. Grass plays an important role in the exchange of lands. The cultivation of steep plough-lands abounds in difficulties, there is a great danger of soil erosion, also, crops are'smaller than in plain lands. On slopes, grass is the best protector of the soil. On the slopes and hillsides, a profitable grazing animal husbandry can be implemented with the right skills and cultivation. The ecological potential of Somogy county is under-utilised, as both the number of grassy areas and grazing animals is decreasing. For private entrepreneurs, cattle breeding could provide a certain living. The traditional way of using the pastures is sheep breeding, which can utilise the larger and less fertile pastures, as well. A specific way of using the grassy lands is breeding horse for its meat. The extremely weak pastures could be grazed by red and fallow deer. The decreasing and derelict grassy areas are still reserves for the Hungarian agriculture. These grassy areas, however, should not be taken out of cultivation but should help us to rationalise agriculture, animal breeding, fodder production and to improve the profitability of producing animal products.

A kulturális innováció területi terjedése

The paper contains the results of a study on the spatial diffusion of a Hungarian popular professional magazine the Heti Vilaggazdasag or HVG (World Economical Weekly) which is published in Budapest from 1978. The findings can be summarized in the light of relevant literature as follows: The spatial expansion of subscriptions is influenced, though not definitely determined, by the distance of subscribers' homes from the capital. The so-called regional intellectual centres may counterbalance, or at least lessen, the effect of remoteness from Budapest but their absence virtually multiplies it. The 19 counties of Hungary were grouped — on the basis of their initial subscription rates and subscription dynamics — into four classes: the first class demonstrated a slow development from a low level of subscription rate; the second moved from a low level upwards at a rapid pace; the third class of counties shifted from a high level with little dynamics; and finally the fourth group displayed high levels of both subscription rate and dynamics. The initial subscription rate was found to be influenced significantly by the population size of settlements (and other, yet undisclosed, social factors) while its dynamics could be related t the 'irradiation' effect of intellectual centres: either the vicinity of the capital or the accessibility of a regional centre. Certain extreme cases like the high initial subscription rates in Csongrad county leven without the regional centre Szeged) or the rapid diffusion of subscriptions in the villages of Tolna county need further thorough investigations. It was apparently possible to identify some 'innovation centres' within Hungary on the basis of the spatial extent and the diffusion dynamics of subscriptions. Areas which were left out of this innovation process could also be identified. Such areas were found in the regions of small villages within South-Transdanubia, firstly in Baranya county as well as in North-Transdanubia, around Papa. In North-Hungary, the settlements of Abauj and Zemplen while in the eastern end the villages of Szatmar seem to be in a similar situation. Further in-depth research is therefore thought to be required into the backwardness in North-Transdanubia and into the 'innovation centres' in South-Alfold. Similarly, it is necessary to call the attention to certain 'secondary' regions which are important in the transmission of innovation e.g. Tab and its environs in Somogy county or Tolna county which was already mentioned for the rapid innovation diffusion there.

Court and Cottage: The Public Image of Maria Theresa's Government During the Transdanubian Unrest, 1765–1767

During the years 1765–1767, there was serious peasant unrest in Transdanubian Hungary, a region where large estates owned by a few prominent families such as the Esterházy, Batthány, and Festetics were prevalent. Especially in Vas, Zala, and Somogy counties, located in western Hungary across the border from Styria, peasant inhabitants protested the growing demands for services and other payments placed upon them by landlords eager to increase the income produced by their lands. No uniform standards existed; both the size of peasant land holdings and the obligations attached to these holdings varied markedly, determined by various contracts or, more often, by custom.