Show 0 M me WA an aw 4 w 49 MM 14 OR scene in graz shyria prepared ped by national geographic So society cletY washington D C service HE F farm problem is not confined rt to america recently farmers of JL s lyrla quiet picturesque austrian valley were unable to pay taxes and refused to allow auctioneers tio on their property tax collectors had hoped to satisfy the governments ern ments claims by selling farm stock and equipment shyria Is both the flip shenandoah valley and the birmingham of austria in an alpine country whose borders touch no salt water Aus city dwellers take to the alie grassy slopes of her tall mountains or to rural villages tucked away in smiling valleys when their annual playtime rolls around hiking along winding mountain paths wearing deerskin or chamois shorts hobnailed boots green trimmed jackets and hats plumed with a trophy of some other years outing hunting the cock ot of the wood or other game taking part in the rural festivals of the village where young and old don the costume of their home town and join in the folk songs and dances and mountain climbing to dizzy heights on Aus alpine sentinels are some of the attractions which crowd the spotless styrlan hostelries hostel rles with city families holiday bent hunting the chamois is the favorite sport for city dwelling austrian and german visitors living in mountain fastnesses fast nesses difficult of approach the chamois are perhaps the most agile of all Eu ropes alpine animals their pliant skin furnished the original leather of that name and the stiff black hairs tipped with creamy yellow which grow on the back of the animals animal mal s neck are worn in the hat as a badge of hunting prowess quail cock of the wood pheasant partridge and many other game birds are found in shyria and neighboring tyrol tall feathers from the cock of the wood also are valued as hat plumes to supplement m ent austrian costumes and sliver silver plus pins w which aich hold the feathers in place are h hunts mens heirlooms heir looms often handed down for generations iron and water power steiermark ermark as the austrians Aust rians call this little province astride the kiederer tauern bauern straggling eastern outpost of E Eu ropes mighty alpine range supplies 99 per cent of the republics iron needs and by harnessing the latent water power in its mountain streams it provides a substitute for the missing link in Aus chain of raw materials coal deposits which the latter lost after the reorganization of the austro hungarian empire from the vordernberg range in the north of shyria conics the bulk of the raw material for the iron works of graz leoben lebben and donawitz since the out cropping ore Is of such high iron content it Is mined from the surface not through deep shafts and chambers as is the general practice in other parts of the world while the mines have been worked for more than twelve centuries and were once considered as the largest known deposits their total production for all time Is less than a third of the worlds annual output today in the iron mountain regions especially where arsenic Is a byproduct by product of iron smelting smelling sm elting some peasants eat this virulent poison it Is taken in small doses which art are gradually increased as the system becomes used to it until it may be taken dilly daily without visible III effect in a quantity sufficient to kill in an average person the arsenic Is supposed to clear the complexion increase the appetite and improve breathing especially for mountain climbers horse handlers sometimes put small in a horses food or in his mouth to make his coat sleek and glossy and I 1 improve reprove his wind on mountain slopes slope nat aurally this practice la Is frowned upon ind and discouraged by physicians the murmuring mur winds across the length and breadth of shyria its ita upper reaches especially near acar the neck of Aus panhandle where here it Is t fed by glacial brooks look on a map ia or to the high altitude airman like the th backbone of some gigantic fish along qa its course and slender fishbone tribu baries cluster the villages and prin cipal cities which seem to grow in size alz as the river widens as in the case of af murau aud and teufenbach Teufen bach the industrial f city of leoben lebben and farther south just before the river leaves austria graz the nations second largest city andl and Sty St rias official seat of government towns along the mur straddling the mur graz seems a veritable combination of venice andi athens in miniature its ancient houses rise abruptly from the rivers edge suggesting the grand canal of the romantic italian city while its 13 schlossberg and square clock tower perched high over the cites head dominate the skyline as the acropolis does at athens i yet unlike either of these graz ts is 1 primarily a manufacturing city here are made bicycles wagons machinery champagne and beer linen leather goods and iron and steel products and here work and uve live many of those vacationers who frequent the country villages of the mur valley la in summer and take delight in going native by donning rural costumes in graz there Is a museum in which many a youngster would delight to linger on a rainy afternoon within the landes zeu haus or arsenal there Is preserved in perfect condition enough medieval armor to outfit completely an army of men spears swords helmets chain mall mail battle axes complete suits of armor in fact all of the equipment a well appointed knight could desire are kept ready to hand but strange as it may seen seem not a single suit of armor in the museum would fit a six footer of today nor could an average modern man mall wield with ease the cumbersome weapons of that bygone age austrian lan mercenaries wore some of this armor and much of it saw service against the turk when graz was one of Eu ropes bulwarks bulwa against moslem invaders the unchanging charm of shyria lies in her small rural villages each with its church or tur rented castle perched high on some rocky erne crag nestling in the lonely valleys at the feet of giant sentinels of the eastla alps these little towns are a world to themselves themselves dairying and farming while dairying has been the principal industry of rural shyria tor for many generations farming has been encouraged because austria today has bag to import largo large quantities of food agricultural schools are scattered throughout the province timber coy COT ers over half of Sty laa rias area and gives 0 work to many lumbermen who mate make telegraph poles and railroad ties for A export across the rich bottom lands stretch rows of strange haystacks with cross arms which resemble grotesque scare crows As soon as the snow loaves leaves 11 in early spring the dairy herds are turned into these fields then as the weather becomes warmer and the snow recedes the cattle are driven to higher pastures the meadows are then used to grow hay and farm crops crop boys and girls usually children of 1 the owners tend the herds mills milk the cows make cheese and in sunnier live in log cabins or chalets chafets provided aided vided for them lu in mountain mount aln retreats the milk cheese and butter are brought don dally daily and in more favored vintages IIII ages are sent to the local dairy a model of clea and iab ern appliances |