North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Steve <sdw12986@aol.com>]

D Stubbs wrote:
> Steve , which thermometer do you have? I very much need an accurate one 
> so I can verify  temps for people I am doing cold hardiness testing for. 
> I have web searched Davis, Oregon, and Taylor weather stations and so 
> far not found one that is good to minus 50F and also mac computer 
> compatible. You mentioned yours is wired to a tree, does this mean you 
> have a cable from your house out to your orchard?
> thanks Del

No, it's old. I've had it far longer than I've had computers. I guess I 
mis-spoke when I called it a recording thermometer. It's really a Taylor 
Min-Max thermometer similar to this one:
http://weathertechstore.com/thermometers/maxmin/images/taylor5458b.JPG
Except that mine is black plastic and has a button in the center to 
reset it to the current temperature.
I have to go outside, look at it, and reset it when I want to see what 
it "recorded". I remember when I first ordered it from a catalog, the 
picture clearly showed that it could read -40 degrees. The one that came 
only went down to -30. I sent it back. My dad found one that DID go to 
-40 and gave it to me for Christmas one year. I've had the pin go beyond 
the -40 degree mark a couple of times.
If I were buying one today, I think I would go with a wireless 
electronic one of some sort. I would want it to go to -50F. I wouldn't 
be able to get it out to the trees if there was a wire and it would be 
nice to read it from indoors. You know, now that I think about it, I 
should move that thing to another tree this fall. The apple tree that 
it's on, gets snow drifted around it about 4 feet deep. Trust me, it's 
really hard to read a thermometer while wearing snowshoes and the 
thermometer is now ankle high due to the snow depth. I've tried and I'm 
not that flexible!

Steve in the Adirondacks